Sheer Volume

Working with the contradictory fluid and rigid states of glass, Michael Scheiner makes sculptures that often incorporate additional materials, such as clay, plaster, resin, wood, wax, fiberglass, and metals. His forms tend to be based on shapes found in nature, representing “a response to an emotional phenomenon—a triggered recollection of a moment.”* “I like to try to do something new every time I make sculpture,” Scheiner says. “Some of my pieces, when finished, look fairly simple, but the process is very complex. I am very interested in process; it’s the way I get my ideas.”** Sheer Volume is a literal title, in that Scheiner has created a shadow volume that does not really exist. While the artist was living in Japan, he acquired a large and perfect rock that he had cut into “thin” sections, which he displays—like slices of sashimi—overlapping on the floor. Scheiner took each section of this rock and outlined it on a piece of paper. The outlines were transferred onto sheets of commercial float glass with clay wash, and then Scheiner stacked the large sheets of glass against a wall. During this process, the large rock was reassembled, creating a “sheer volume” that hangs in the transparent space of the glass. The sculpture may be displayed with or without the rock that inspired it. Published: Oldknow (39), pp. 198–199; and New Glass Review 32, Corning: The Corning Museum of Glass, 2011, p. 46. For more information, see www.michaelscheiner.net/michaelscheiner.netfolder/home.html. * Susanne K. Frantz, Clearly Thinking: The Sculpture of Peter Ivy and Michael Scheiner, Phoenix: Phoenix Art Museum, 2002, p. 7. ** Artist’s statement, on file at The Corning Museum of Glass.