Barbara Galazzo

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ARTIST STATEMENT: 

My Work is a celebration of color It is the brilliant, lush colors of glass that rejuvenates my soul and ignites my passion as they flow into objects. My latest, Circles explores textures, colors, and transparency vs. opacity .

At the end of my 16 years as a professional ballet dancer I found myself searching for a new identity. I tried a brief stint as an administrative assistant in a law office. This drab and colorless environment soon sent me shrieking for creativity, passion and color. It was not until a friend lured me to join her at a glass conference that I found my calling.
Brilliant, lush colors that rejuvenated my soul, flowed into objects and were so mesmerizing I had to learn glassmaking. The transparency of glass reminds me of the strength and at the same time the fragility of life. I love melding light and color into a kaleidoscopic window of movement, through this seductive medium of glass. The movement, the vibrancy of the colors, and the light reflecting off the colors pull you into a hypnotic state and demands that you look at it in awe.

Through this transparent window of glass you are invited into a world to explore the depth and fragile inner beauty that exist in and around each of us. The textures and multiple layers of color on color that I use in my work remind me of the many layers of a rich life. Each experience adds a layer to the personality of the glass and to our own individual lives. Together each small piece creates a rich texture of life, family and community. They are the moments of self-discovery and survival. Each views this window with a different perspective. My Coming Together Sculpture is a perfect example of this, it was the beginning of my life coming together again with each step or layer into the passion of an artistic life of joy, and there is power in joy.
My intention is to create a sense of joy, beauty and healing in and through my work to its owner and last long after I am gone. My inspiration comes from the vivid colors themselves, textures, patterns in architecture, textiles, nature, shapes, and even my daughter’s drawings. After so many years I am still in awe of the capabilities and possibilities in creating beautiful glass.