Glass artist Janis Miltenberger draws on the roles of mythology and storytelling as attempts to explain our experience of the world to build complex glass sculptures.Her work often takes the shape of recognizable objects, like human figures and chairs, which are then filled with incredible detail. The artist uses borosilicate glass, and enhanced with glass colors, gold luster, sandblasting, and oil paint.
Each glas sculpture is built, first the internal structure and then one by one elements are fashioned and added to the framework.Miltenberger was originally drawn to ceramics, and discovered glassblowing in college, where she apprenticed with Richard Marquis.
Many years later, she was introduced to lampworking, which is her preferred technique today.
After so many years working with glass, Miltenberger now finds it quite natural to imagine her work in all three dimensions.
“I start building the work, it can deviate from my original drawing,” Miltenberger shares.“Sometimes as I work on a piece, I am surprised and see a different design emerge, something that better reflects my story.”
More of Janis Miltenberger’s intricate glass work can be found at http://www.janismiltenberger.com/.