Fish Catcher 117

Blown Glass
10 inches in diameter x 4 inches deep

There are additional views of this piece.

With little consideration, Fish Catcher 117 is a gorgeous piece. Upon closer inspection, one realizes the magnitude of understanding the physical and optical properties of light and glass to make the piece so successful. Here Yamano has turned the vessel on its side inviting you to look directly into the piece. The gold leaf glistens in the refracted light of the faceted glass. The etched fish seem to move within the piece, multiplying through the cut glass surface. These photographs do not do justice to the beauty of the piece. The details of the fish are lost in the translation to photograph. It is spectacular in person.

Light bends through the thick walls of the vessel and reflects the swimmers on its inner walls. Fish mysteriously appear and vanish with ever changing light. The fluidity of movement is amazing. Fish Catcher 117 calls to be touched. Run your palm along the back surface while looking through the front. The tactile experience is lovely but the drama created internally is magnificent.

Fish Catcher 117 measures 10 inches in diameter x 4 inches deep. $6000.

Hiroshi Yamano

The sculpture of Hiroshi Yamano is infused with a delicate balance of eastern and western imagery. Each piece combines intricate etchings in gold or silver leaf on thickly blown three-dimensional forms.

Born in 1956 in Fukuoka, Japan, Hiroshi Yamano began working in glass in 1975 inspired by an exhibition of Scandinavian glass in Kyoto. After traveling to Europe, he returned to Japan to complete his studies. Yamano spent the next two years studying glass. First, at California College of Arts and Crafts, next as an apprentice with Marvin Lipovsky learning the creative aspects of glass. Subsequently, Yamano spent years at the Tokyo Glass Art Institute working and refining the technical aspects of glass.

By l988, Yamano mastered the techniques of hot glass, cold glass and the process of combining metallic surfaces to the glass. Since that time, his work has been celebrated in both the United States and Japan.

Delving into his personal and multi-cultural history, a constant theme emerges. Repeated fish imagery represents Yamano's personal journey struggling to keep "swimming" the waters of life's events. The energy present is ever flowing, not stagnant. The waters he refers to in this body of work "From East to West" are the shores of his homeland Japan. Hiroshi says about his inspiration:

"My work comes from all my experiences… The memories I have from my experiences [are] my most important treasures. To keep getting my treasures I have to keep swimming the world like a fish swimming in the waters, I am a fish who cannot stop swimming until my body stops to move. Maybe I will swim forever, like the Universe does."

Yamano's process begins with a thick blown-glass bowl, which is covered with silver and copper leaf. Schools of fish are etched into the surface. A wax resist is placed on top of the fish and the remaining exposed surface responds to an electro-charged mineral bath creating an antique like patina reminiscent of Japanese woodcuts and elaborate golden screens of the 1500s. Flat and concave facets cut into the surface provide transparent portholes refracting light and creating illusions of interior activity. Looking through the glass one swimmer looks like ten. Yamano creates three-dimensional fish (the mackerel!) balancing them in openings within the blown and faceted forms. The images mirror Hiroshi's existence — sometimes half in one culture and half out. The sculptures appear to be lit with the golden rays of sunlight. Yamano achieves a sense of peaceful tranquility by adding colors of blue and rose.

Yamano's credits and recognition include The Rakow Commission from the Corning Museum of Glass.His work can be found in museums throughout the world including The Chrysler Museum in Norfolk, VA; Corning Museum of Glass, Corning, NY; Wheaton Glass Museum, Millville, NJ; Winter Park City Hall Winter Park, FL and The Wustum Museum of Fine Arts, Racine, WI.

Each piece is vibrant in its own unique aesthetic.