Artist of the Month
November 2013
KeKe Cribbs
As a glass artist with a career spanning over 30 years, KeKe Cribbs has had time to hone her craft to the ultimate height of technical perfection while retaining curiosity and conceptual intention. Her work is vibrant, colorful and sparkling with the many facets of reverse fired enamel mosaics which she makes for each piece. KeKe is represented by Scott Jacobson Gallery, New York City.
Click on each photo to the right for a full picture.
Agility Course, 2011; 30 x 22 x 1.5 inches; reverse fired enamels on glass, carved and painted wood, forged iron
Calypso, side 1, 2013; 30.5 x 9.5 x 26.5 inches; reverse fired enamels on sheet glass and mosaics, hybridized concrete, wood, acrylic resin and paint, aluminum
Detail, Portrait, Calypso, side 1, reverse fired enamels on sheet glass
Calypso, side 2, 2013; 30.5 x 9.5 x 26.5 inches; reverse fired enamels on sheet glass and mosaics, hybridized concrete, wood, acrylic resin and paint, aluminum
Drifter, 2011; 24 x 18 x 2 inches; reverse painted vitreous enamels on glass, wood
Mojango, side 1, 2013; 32 x 12 x 32 inches; reverse fired enamels on sheet glass and mosaics, hybridized concrete, wood, acrylic resin and paint, aluminum
Detail, Pigglet, Mojango, side 1, reverse fired enamels on glass, metal leaf
Mojango, side 2, 2013; 32 x 12 x 32 inches; reverse fired enamels on sheet glass and mosaics, hybridized concrete, wood, acrylic resin and paint, aluminum
Detail, Mosaics on Mojango boat
Raising the Moon, 2011; 24 x 18 x 2 inches; reverse painted vitreous enamels on glass, wood
Phoenix Rising, 2011; 15 x 21 x 6 inches; stoneware, glaze, gold luster, reverse fired enamels on slumped glass and glass mosaics, steel
Squeezing Destiny, 2011; 24 x 18 x 2 inches; reverse painted vitreous enamels on glass, wood
KeKe Cribbs
Artist Statement:
Although primarily self-taught, I have taken classes at Pilchuck, Penland and Pratt where I have explored all the mediums and techniques in which I am interested, and which I use variously in my mixed media works. Reverse painting with vitreous enamels on sheet glass is my primary material, but I add my painted glass to sculptural works using ceramics, concrete, wood, metals, fabric, paper, printing, collage and painting. I use all these materials to follow my conceptual ideas which are more important than the material itself, but I love having the ability to craft with these materials in the spirit of a Renaissance artist who loves and understands the science of his materials. Exploration continues to be a driving force in my work and I love the challenge of the New.
About KeKe Cribbs
KeKe Cribbs was born in 1951 in Colorado Springs, Colorado, the eldest daughter of five children. When KeKe was 15, her mother moved the family to Ireland to write her doctoral thesis on the poet Yeats. After three years KeKe traveled to Italy and France, eventually making a home on the island of Corsica where her daughter Alicia Lomne, also a glass artist, was born.
The art work of KeKe Cribbs has been very influenced by the places she has lived. The desert lands of the Southwest, which still have deep cultural roots for her, and architecture, threaded through with the experiences of living in old European villages with winding cobble streets, heavy iron locks and hinges on old wooden doors. There is a sense of mystery and adventure sewn with magic in her work; new lands with old stories. Her love of the highly crafted works from antiquity show in the way she handles her materials.
KeKe has had time to hone her craft to the ultimate height of technical perfection while retaining curiosity and conceptual intention. Her work is vibrant, colorful and sparkling with the many facets of reverse fired enamel mosaics which she makes for each piece. Her enameled paintings have a surrealistic dream quality which speaks to the mystery and joy of one's voyage through life. The other materials, whether they are painted wood, antiqued metals, sculptural concrete or ceramics, always feel like they have been around for centuries … new lands with old stories indeed!
Click here for an artist's resume.
Acknowledgment of Gallery:
We are grateful to Scott Jacobson Gallery, New York City, for providing the materials for 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.
