Artist Bio: As a glass sculptor, Jacob’s work gravitates toward themes of people, connection, and existential identity. His practice is deeply influenced by minimalism and the Czech glass movement. Through sand casting and lost-wax glass sculpture, he seeks to examine and exalt the human experience and the fragile threads of social connection. Jacob is currently working on his craft at the Pratt Fine Arts Center, as well as in community alongside a vibrant group of talented artists. By exploring form, shape, and light, he aspires to push the boundaries of glass and assist in affirming its place within the realm of fine art.
For his first solo exhibition at ANTiPODE Art Gallery Jacob would like to thank all the many people who have helped him throughout the journey, a few of them are: Sabah Al Dhaher, Koji Minami, Benjamin Markus, Milo Snyder, Oliver Starkweather, Karsten Oaks, Cory Kennedy, Patrick Rich, Lisa Shumaker, and Pratt Fine Arts community.
Captivated by Glass
A romantic journey into a universe of form, shape, and light
I shall venture to use my clumsy vocabulary to describe my relationship with glass: why I feel this deep pull from within my very being; why I shape these specific forms and figures from the once-liquid sand.
It started when I was twelve: foggy Saturday mornings at my godfather’s glass business, taking old windows apart, separating glass from frames, consciously avoiding cuts, reveling in the shape-shifting effects of gravity on the fragile material, unaware of the journey I was setting forth upon, not knowing that this translucent material would illuminate the rest of my life. Could there be a more profound material—one that refracts sunlight and metaphorically simulates the fragility of mortality?
Since then, I have spent many years with glass. My process varies from drawing with charcoal and creating small, inspired sketches to taking a piece of clay and uncovering the form that was always patiently waiting beneath. My creative mind is happily stimulated by the constraints of the material and the arduous process of casting. I find joy in exploring both modern and antiquated techniques and technologies to sculpt the material. Common themes in my work seek to exalt the human experience and express the importance of community and social connection. Inspired by minimalism and influenced by the Czech glass movement, I strive to shape forms and figures that feel timeless, placeless, and endless. I consider it my responsibility to push the boundaries of glassmaking and help affirm glass’s place within the realm of fine art.
Twenty-five years later, I still find myself filled with joy, grinning from ear to ear when I encounter a solid, weighty glass form—a doorway to connect with my inner child and celebrate a feeling of wonder. After all these years, I have learned so much, yet I still feel like I know nothing at all about this alien-like, amorphous solid called glass.
What can you do with a love that doesn’t get old? You melt into it and let it shape you.