Robert Mickelson - Studio Art Glass

Elephant Bottles Flameworked glass, sandblasted, stained color Set of three each measures approximately 16 inches tall x 4.5 inches wide x 2 inches deep

Robert Mickelsen was born in 1951 in Fort Belvoir, Virginia. He was raised in Honolulu, Hawaii. Mickelsen's formal education ended after one year of college. He apprenticed with a professional lampworker for two years in the mid-seventies. It was after meeting Paul Stankard that his eyes were opened to the possibilities of his medium.

Mickelsen has taught at the Pilchuck Glass School, at the Penland School of Crafts and at The Studio at the Corning Museum of Glass. His work is in many prominent collections including the Pilchuck Glass School and the Corning Museum of Glass. He has published technical and historical articles in many prominent publications.

About his work, Mickelsen states...
"I look for the unexpected in my work, and make a deliberate effort to cultivate surprises. My ideas are driven by subconscious thoughts, spontaneous fantasies, and dreams. I have learned to say things and express ideas with glass that I cannot in voice or word, and so my work ends up educating me, as long as I am willing to pay attention. I love exploring the possibilities of surface design and decoration. Some of my recent work features layering of colors to achieve complex textures often combined with resist sandblasting to create images, a technique called "graal". Other new work emphasizes my interest in organic shapes and surfaces by sandblasting and sandcarving forms to achieve a specific texture which I then highlight with color gradients done in oil paints. Both of these new directions have moved my vessels further away from their utilitarian roots and toward a purely sculptural form. Like most artists working in glass, I am hopelessly enamored with the material, but lately have come to resent some of its limitations. What if I don't want a piece to be shiny and smooth? I have attempted to deal with this dilemma by attacking surface, trying to find deep textures and primordial roughness, but what I have found instead is more of the beauty of glass. The resulting surfaces are translucent, glowing and invitingly touchable. Another surprise."