sculptural still lifes

These pieces are unique in concept, purpose, and execution. Using a combination of lengthy and painstaking processes found only in my workshop, I mix, layer, fuse, fire, carve, grind, etch, and otherwise manipulate glass until it looks like something else, thereby creating works that represent our world through the depiction of food and its social consumption. 

While this series of still life sculptures is a departure from my glass production pieces, it’s also a logical extension of my artistic work to date, representing both a synthesis and culmination of my experiences as a painter, glass artist, and a designer. Each piece or installation represents a contemporary, one of a kind approach to the bountiful still lifes of the masters, swapping subjects like “fruity” cereals and bacon and eggs for more traditional apples and grapes and fresh game. Some pieces are very personal: “KD Ruined by Broccoli” is fondly dedicated to my husband’s sophisticated palate; and “Save Your Fork, There’s Pie” reminds me of my dad’s last Christmas. The COVID Series comments on the very different “everyday life” we experienced in 2020 and beyond. Whether tongue-in-cheek or sentimental, they all are meant to celebrate the comfort - and even the beauty - that can be found in the familiar and the ordinary.

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© Janet Panabaker 2024       follow me on Instagram!