1964
"Master of Science, University of Minnesota"
The Facts: Similar in appearance to the opening piece of the collection, 1957, this piece is also handcrafted from art glass (sphere) and optic crystal (base). No two pieces are exactly the same due to the process in which the glass is blown, cooled and treated.
Subjective Interpretation: It is fully intentional that this piece echoes "1957" in more ways than one. The '57 high school piece signifies the end of a chapter and so does this one. This was the final step of schooling before, of course, the doctorate degree. While high school is represented in the older piece as loose and new, with disparate threads working together to achieve a greater whole, this is the streamlined version of it. The central design itself has solidified, as does knowledge and experience, into something different. The world that seemed so big to conquer a few years earlier has shrunken considerably with achievement, and with one's goals now being in reach. Don't let the size of this piece fool you; it is all about honing one's skills to perfection and tightening the playing field to make one's mark. As before, there are myriad impurities forever paused inside the art glass, but they are desirable and they make the piece unique and more interesting. Isn't that like our own mistakes and learning experiences?
Creative Note: As you can see in the image below, this is a very small piece. We've elected to place it next to a commonly recognizable item; in this case, a standard bottle of Poland Spring water. This comparison should illustrate the level of detailed work included in such a small item.
