Artist of the Month
January 2024
Heike Brachlow
At first glance, Heike Brachlow’s work may appear simplistic in its form, but closer inspection reveals great attention to the detail of the construction, quality of finishing, and unusual colors present in her work. She is a specialist in glass casting, cutting, grinding, and polishing, and produces her own unusual variations of glass color. Her works are often playful, combining movement and light to great effect. Heike is represented by Gallery TEN, Edinburgh, Scotland.
Click on each photo to the right for a full picture.
Ansa, 2023; 23 x 40 x 25 centimeters; cast glass, ground and hand-finished. Photo by Chris Blade.
Chasma II, 2022; 40 x 43 x 31 centimeters; cast glass, ground, hand-finished, and polished. Photo by Jon Applegate.
Ephyra, 2023; 30 x 31 x 27 centimeters; cast glass, ground and hand-finished. Photo by Chris Blade.
Limen, 2019; 34.5 x 35 x 32 centimeters; cast glass, ground and hand-finished. Photo by Ester Segarra.
Vertex blue-grey, 2019; 28 x 30 x 28 centimeters; cast glass, ground, hand-finished, and polished. Photo by Ester Segarra.
Vortex VI, 2023; 28 x 30 x 28 centimeters; cast glass, ground and hand-finished. Photo by Chris Blade.
Vortex VII, 2023; 28 x 30 x 28 centimeters; cast glass, ground and hand-finished. Photo by Chris Blade.
Heike Brachlow
Artist Statement:
The unexpected. The slightly odd, the surreal, the uncanny.
Precariousness. Stability. Equilibrium. Imbalance.
Things that are not what they seem.
Movement. Things that change.
There but not there.
Fragile. Solid.
Ambiguous.
Color: subtle, bold.
Always changing.
Overlapping.
Flowing.
Fading.
My current body of work is based on a concept called D-form, a three-dimensional form created by joining the edges of two flat shapes with the same perimeter length. Results are wildly different depending on at which point the shapes are joined. Recently, I have been focusing on flow patterns made visible through color. By using two or more colors during the casting process, it is possible to track the flow of molten glass after it has cooled and solidified. This flow can be influenced by factors such as height and placement of the reservoir, placement of glass billets, form of object.
To realize my forms, I use the casting process. A plaster mold is made from the original model. From this, a wax form is created. A mold for glass is made over the wax, which is then steamed out and placed in a kiln with glass blocks in a reservoir above it. After the firing, which takes between 1 and 3 weeks, the glass form is ground, polished, and hand-sanded.
About Heike Brachlow
Born and raised in Munich, Germany, Heike Brachlow received her BA in glass 2004 from the University of Wolverhampton, her MA in 2006 and PhD in 2012 from the Royal College of Art in London. She works as a self-employed artist from her studio in Cumbria, and as an educator and lecturer, teaching at the Royal College of Art in London. Her work is represented in many museum collections including the Victoria & Albert (UK), the European Museum of Modern Glass (Germany), the National Museums Scotland, and the Tacoma Museum of Glass (USA). She won the Jerwood Maker’s Open Award in 2011 and the Glass Seller’s Arts and Crafts Award at the British Glass Biennale in 2017. Her work has been exhibited in many countries including the USA, China, Japan, Korea, Australia, Italy, and Germany.
Heike’s often precariously balanced sculptures aim to physically engage: the viewer becomes toucher – invited by words or form, boldly or guiltily. Color is an important part of her work; her PhD research focused on exploring the interaction of color, form, and light in solid transparent glass. Her work reflects her attraction to movement and transformation, both in color and form.
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Acknowledgment of Gallery:
We are grateful to Gallery TEN, in Edinburgh, Scotland, for providing the Artist of the Month.
The Art Alliance for Contemporary Glass is a not-for-profit organization whose mission is to further the development and appreciation of art made from glass.
The Alliance informs collectors, critics and curators by encouraging and supporting museum exhibitions, university glass departments and specialized teaching programs, regional collector groups, visits to private collections, and public seminars.
