Statement
I was immediately grabbed by the beauty and spectacle of working with hot glass from my first introduction with the material. Glassmaking demands focus in a way that silences all distractions and mental noise. The processes of hot glass techniques drew me in, and as I dove deeper into the medium, I experienced how the material naturally possesses qualities that allow glass sculpture to describe invisible entities that surround us everyday. This led me to make wearable glass sculptures and installations that explore how the innate hardness, transparency, and fragility of glass can be used to create and accentuate built, natural, and bodily environments.
Bio
Courtney Tanner is a glass and mixed-media artist whose work investigates how the innate hardness, transparency, and fragility of glass can create and accentuate built, natural, and bodily environments. Recently, her artwork utilizes multidisciplinary techniques to discuss themes such as emotional and structural tension and the human experiences. She holds a BFA in Glass and in Architecture from Massachusetts College of Art and Design. She has worked in the glass field at various studios as a production gaffer, public studio teacher, and fine art kiln casting fabricator. Her work has been exhibited internationally, including shows at the Naturalist Gallery of Contemporary Art, Godine Gallery, and most recently during Venice Glass Week. Additionally, her work was published in the New Glass Review 45, the Penn Journal of Arts and Sciences, and more. Courtney lives in Providence, RI and works in Boston, MA.
