Artist of the Month
April 2021
Shelley Muzylowski Allen
Shelley Muzylowski Allen is a contemporary artist working in glass and mixed media. Her blown and hot sculpted glass sculptures of animals pulsate with expression and can often be seen suspended in natural gait. Her creations are strongly marked by the unique color, pattern, and texture that encase each form. Allen is represented by Blue Rain Gallery, Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Click on each photo to the right for a full picture.
Chalcedony Horse, 2020; 24"h x 20"w x 9"d; blown, hand sculpted glass, horsehair, Mookaite (rock) which is also Chalcedony, leather
Ripple, 2016; 15"h x 13.5"d; blown, hand-sculpted, cut, and sand-carved glass
Charm, 2016; 21"h x 17"w x 15"d; blown, hand-sculpted and engraved glass, limestone, steel
Hart Netsuke, 2016; 32.5"h x 13"w x 12"d; blown and hand-sculpted glass, horsehair
Siku, 2019; 17"h x 20"w x 11"d; blown, hand sculpted and engraved glass, mixed media
Tarn, 2020; 18"h x 22"w x 10"d; blown, hand sculpted glass, concrete, horsehair
Soel, 2018; 21"h x 17.5"w x 6"d; blown and hand-sculpted glass, Mexican petrified wood, linen, steel
Wild Blue Dagger, 2019; 22.5"h x 13"w x 7"d; blown and hand-sculpted glass, horse hair
Shelley Muzylowski Allen
Artist Statement:
By suspending figures in moments of tension, recalling myths and legends through animal forms, I hope to convey a place that different species have occupied over time. From the long, storied significance of the horse in our civilization and medieval tapestries depicting the lure of the unicorn, to the tradition of the Japanese Netsuke and the disappearance of the Red Gazelle, animals have been associated with mythology, magic, and divinity.
Icons of eras and symbols of the world’s cultures, the presence of these creatures should not just reflect my own insights but inspire an emotional experience and connection in the viewer.
About Shelley Muzylowski Allen
Shelley Muzylowski Allen is a contemporary artist working in glass and mixed media. Her blown and hot sculpted glass sculptures of animals pulsate with expression and can often be seen suspended in natural gait. Her creations are strongly marked by the unique color, pattern, and texture that encase each form. Influenced by the natural world, and constantly pushing the limitations of glass, Allen’s glass work is powerful and unique, straddling the cross section of contemporary glass art and fine art sculpture.
Originally from Manitoba, Canada, Allen has been living and working in the Skagit Valley of Washington for over 20 years. She began as a glassblowing assistant on the William Morris sculpture team and eventually branched out to open her own hot shop and studio that she shares with her husband, and fellow artist, Rik Allen. Allen has taught nationally and internationally throughout her career, and she exhibits her artwork across the U.S. Her glass sculpture is collected in both public and private collections around the world to include the Grand Rapids Art Museum, Grand Rapids, MI; the Fuller Craft Museum, Brockton, MA; the Museum of Glass, Tacoma, WA; the Nuutajarvii Lasikyla, Nuutajarvii, Finland; and the Toyama City Institute of Glass Arts Permanent Collection, Toyama, Japan.
Click here for an artist's resume.
Acknowledgment of Gallery:
We are grateful to Blue Rain Gallery, Santa Fe, New Mexico, 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.
