Sustained Investigation #10

Artist Statement:

For this project, the 10th sustained investigation, I wanted to show the impact that glass has on birds, specifically, as they often run into glass and windows and die at a rate of about 1 billion per year. I wanted to use glass to show this relationship and create clear synthesis.

The two materials I used for this project were glass and acrylic paint. I used the glass to connect to the relationship between birds and glass, and also to have this look as realistic as possible. Then, I used acrylic paint to add in some of the smaller details, like the shattered piece of glass, which I couldn't do with the glass itself.

I started by taking a square glass pane, and gluing the "window panels" onto it. Then, referring to pictures of bluebirds, I used smaller pieces of glass to create a bird, and fused this all together in a kiln. Then, I used acrylic paint, painting the broken portion of the window panel black to look like it was really broken, and added some leaves in the end, so it seemed more disguised in nature, as I'm sure birds often find it.