Icy depths in floating glass
- Priska is a self-taught glass sculptor working with lost-wax casting
- Her pieces are inspired by ice in all its forms
- She describes glass as a medium that conveys atmosphere and light
Priska Jacobs' first encounter with glass was an unsuccessful attempt at sculpting, as the piece she was working on exploded. "This was the beginning of a new path, as I decided in that moment I would learn to work with glass," she explains. It was then a piece by artist Bernard Dejonghe that convinced Priska to lean towards lost-wax casting. Light, glass and what they create together is at the heart of her work. Priska's main inspiration is ice, which she delicately and sublimely recreates in her pieces. "Glass is more than decorative, as it can convey atmospheres that no other medium can with its use of light," she says. Priska still holds on to the first piece she ever made: a wall relief made of clear glass and copper inclusions that hangs in her home to this day.
INTERVIEW
I wanted to freely shape glass for a project and tried to do so with a flame, as I had once seen in a demonstration. The glass exploded because I had no knowledge of how to cool it. I was so fascinated by the molten glass that I decided to learn how to work with it.
I bring the colour and wind-smoothed texture from glaciers I visited into my work. I go to the mountains every spring and take underwater photographs of the breaking ice flowing in the crystal-clear mountain lakes. These experiences creep into my work with glass.
I like the secluded, focused work in the studio that allows me to completely immerse myself in my work and lose track of time. The many different materials I use also make the work interesting, such as wax or clay models, silicone moulds and various types of glass.
I think it is great that glass is slowly but surely finding its way into the art world. After being excluded from major art events for a long time for being too decorative, it is now increasingly valued by great artists as a means of transporting light.
