sculpture

Object NameSculpture

Artist Ginny Ruffner (American, b. 1952)

Assistant James Minson (b. 1962)

Made FromBorosilicate Glass, Oil Pigments, Colored Pencil

Date1993

Place MadeUnited States, WA, Seattle (glass); United States, NY, New York City (decoration)

TechniqueFlameworked, hand-applied decoration

SizeOverall H: 50.4 cm, W: 37.7 cm, D: 35 cm

Accession Number93.4.89

Curatorial Area(s)

Postwar and Contemporary

Exhibitions

Favorites From the Contemporary Glass Collection

When Consciousness Sleeps (Where Does It Go?)

On ViewBen W. Heineman Sr. Family Gallery of Contemporary Glass.

Interpretive Notes

Web Text

Ginny Ruffner, who was trained as a painter, is an influential artist and teacher internationally recognized for her flameworked sculptures in glass. While small-scale flameworking was traditionally executed with soft, soda-lime glasses, Ruffner adapted her knowledge of harder, borosilicate glasses, used in scientific glassmaking, to art. Her upbeat sculptures, which refer to personal experiences, memories, and ideas, are sandblasted and covered in paints and pencils.

Physical DescriptionColorless non-lead borosilicate rods, colored pencil, oil paint; flameworked glass rods, hand applied decoration. Pyramidal openwork sculpture comprised of horizontal "branches" extending from central vertical "zigzag" rod; branches end in large non-identical snowflakes painted overall opaque white with gold accents and center painted flower blossom; four short-sleeved shirts, each painted on outer surface with intricate plant patterns, are interspersed among snowflakes as are multiple cherry and stem pairs painted in translucent red and green; sculpture stands on six feet/legs; short sections of central branch and legs have painted pattern of red and brown "knots" on a blue background; painted silver script on one curved leg: "93 Ginny Ruffner"; painted green on underside of low branch: "Ginny Ruffner".
Provenance

Source Heller Gallery - 1993-12-07