“Gathering Redness in the West,” 19.5″w x 16.5″ h x 5/8″ thick, not including wooden stand. 2015
Current Series
I’ve entitled my current glass art series, “Fire in the Madhouse.” Working with my hands & heart I intuitively attempt to express & transcend my painful perceptions of a corrupted & illusory world in finance, politics, & society as they currently exist.
Click here for gallery
My glass process is unique. My intention is to involve the viewer in a
conversation about paradigm change & the possibilities for awakening. “The Gathering Evening Redness in the West” is a title in part borrowed from C. McCarthy’s novel, “Blood Meridian.” I wanted to covey some measure of the deep rooted master/slave paradigm wherein sociopathic elites view most people whether engaged in meaningful work or not as slaves; even the crows as hunter/gatherers are experiencing a more connatural freedom than man in “The Gathering.”
Such compelling & unprecedented world issues, and accelerating change for absolutely everything & everyone greatly disturbs yet forces me to intensify my current art glass series. My glass takes form within the studio kiln, and again is reshaped outdoors in the cold working shop.
Fused, kiln-carved glass process
Cold working with diamond grinder
I use a variety of techniques: layers of powdered glass, cold work with saws and grinders, traditional glass paints, cast glass. Sometimes I rake the glass in the kiln while it’s red-hot, or add pure gold leaf. I also carve wood or stone components for some works.
“Transforming the glass down to the molecular level inside a hot kiln and then slowly cooling it at the perfect annealing rate is a delightful mysterious resurrection.” – Leland Dennick
Leland Dennick Bio
Leland venting the kiln
Mainly self-taught, I made stained glass windows in the late 1970’s and switched to fused glass work in 2002. My glass fusing instructors include Milon Townsend, Richard LaLonde, Miriam Di Fiori, Patty Gray, Avery Anderson, and Bob Leatherbarrow. Born and raised in the San Francisco bay area, I currently reside in Sebastopol with my wife and frequent collaborator, Stacey, and our two cats.
Instruction
Click here for more info about private lessons at my studio in Sebastopol.
Leland Dennick, Glass Artist 