Artist of the Month
August 2023
Travis Adams
From the Commonwealth of Kentucky, Travis Adams has embarked on an incredible journey as an artist and glass maker. Currently, Adams’ work is inspired by firsthand connections with Gongshi, or Chinese Scholars Rocks, and the interface of topology and glass. He continuously explores formal ideas involving our connections to nature. This, he believes, is a theme worthy of life-long exploration. Adams is represented by Trifecta: Glass – Art – Lounge, in Lexington, Kentucky.
Click on each photo to the right for a full picture.
Dual Groove Dilation, 2023; 14 x 8 x 8 inches; blown and hot sculpted glass, cement base
Misty Gust Dilation, 2022; 20 x 9 x 7 inches; blown and hot sculpted glass, cast cement base
Steady Groove Striation 1, 2023; 16 x 8 x 8 inches; blown and hot sculpted glass, cement base
Punctilious Gaze Pointilation, 2023; 16 x 7 x 5 inches; blown and hot sculpted glass, cement base
VermiLán Dilation, 2021; 18 x 12 x 6 inches; blown and hot sculpted glass, cement base
Zaisheng Sprout, 2020; 38 x 26 x 14 inches; mold blown & hot sculpted glass with copper patina
Travis Adams
Artist Statement:
Gongshi Series
My current sculptural focus emerged from the interface of topology and hot sculpted glass. These forms are inspired by my firsthand connection with Gongshi, or Chinese Scholars Rocks, along with influence from such artists as Barbara Hepworth, Henry Moore, and Max Bill. The sculptural compositions invite the viewer to examine their relationship to the object through void space and changing color relationships. My study of traditional Chinese painting in Chongqing, China has led to a continued interest in fluid mark making and its translation into three-dimensional form. The resulting objects reflect spirit through the inherent qualities of glass and spontaneous expressions within the process. I invite all viewers to study their own fluid movement within space while enjoying these forms.
The Zaisheng Sprout Series
The Zaisheng Sprout series expresses feelings of emersion and regrowth. Utilizing live bark textures translated into glass, the living form is archived within the sculpture and the viewer is challenged to sense beyond the familiar interpretation of tree. This prompts a new relationship to the material and offers new connections to the natural environment that continuously informs our intuitions. This series has received pride of place at Maker’s Mark Distillery as a permanent installation within the visitor center gallery. Each form incorporates bark texture references taken directly from the Mother Oak tree on the distillery’s Star Hill Farm.
About Travis Adams
Born and raised in Shelbyville, Kentucky, Travis Adams has embarked on a winding journey to becoming a glass artist and maker. He was first introduced to the practice of visual art at an early age by the prolific painter and mentor Joe Burks II. Ever since, Adams has traveled extensively in the pursuit of his passion and dedicated his life to the development of his language as an artist.
Adams obtained a bachelor of science degree in financial economics from Centre College. It was there he was introduced to glass by renowned artist Stephen Rolfe Powell. He would later hone his glass skills as lead assistant to Powell for several years. He went on to receive a master of fine arts degree in sculpture with a concentration in glass from Illinois State University. During his tenure at Centre and ISU, he traveled to China for expanded education and academic research.
While at Centre he studied broodmare pricing at Keeneland’s auctions, ventured briefly into the financial sector upon graduation, and helped establish a small non-profit before fully yielding to the call of glass. Though Adams lived in and explored numerous locations to establish his practice, he has made his way back to Kentucky to launch Trifecta Design LLC in collaboration with leading contemporary designer Tomas Frenes. The one-of-a-kind glass studio experience known as Trifecta: Glass – Art – Lounge in Lexington, KY now serves as Adams’ home studio and hub of continued exploration.
Click here for an artist's resume.
Acknowledgment of Gallery:
We are grateful to Trifecta: Glass – Art – Lounge, Lexington, Kentucky, 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.
