FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
GALLERIES NATIONALLY PRESENT THE IMPOSSIBLE
Featuring the Woven Glass nest babies™ of Markow & Norris
Falls Church, Virginia Feb. 2007 – Represented in 50 nationally renowned galleries, Markow & Norris is celebrating the one year anniversary of their whimsical woven glass nest babies™, Markow & Norris’ 12 new collectible designs inspired by the purposeful and delicate weave of a bird’s nest.
The artisans’ proprietary woven glass technique requires hours of precise manipulation. After the initial preparation, the glass undergoes 3 to 4 separate firings each at temperatures up to 1500 degrees before the sculpture is fire polished over the artists’ handmade molds. This meticulously micro-controlled heating and cooling process requires over 100 hours of kiln time. The effect is vividly colorful and distinctive works, conceived with a marriage of science, art, and alchemy.
The nest babies™ are a homage to the complex frameworks found in nature. They are constructed under the watchful eyes of Simon and Sydney, Markow & Norris’ two South American parrots. The nest babies’™ intricate interpretation of nature offers a tangible sense of wonder to anyone who has ever watched a baby bird take flight or looked closely at a bright blue robin’s egg camouflaged by twigs and leaves.
All nest babies™ begin with a story, unfolding as the artists imagine the personalities of these imaginary birds, weaving a refuge for their two eggs nestled inside. Vibrant colors from the fantastical worlds of the nest babies™, such as fabulous babies, koi babies, and beach babies, protect the eggs that will never hatch – but like a fairy-tale frozen in time, they could.
Shaped by hand, the wax molds used to cast the glass eggs must be broken to remove each egg. As in nature, no two eggs are the same. Against the shiny weave of the nest, the satin finish of these eggs adds contrast and completes an organic synthesis of story telling, imagination and nature. Measuring 6”x 6”x 2”, the nest babies™ are a smaller canvas for Markow & Norris, but the construction is none the less as labor intensive as their larger sculpture. Both require extensive planning and flawless execution.
Markow & Norris seek to inspire with the intricate nature of their work: “An element of our work is magic” says Thom Norris. “Our glass is sourced from sand and we scientifically force it into an impossible shape, the weave, ultimately returning it to a natural organic form. We love to surprise people at the notion of weaving glass and encourage them to wonder how it is accomplished. Every sculpture is made with extreme care and our goal is to bring meaningful joy to all who possess them.” Due to the time consuming nature of their work, Markow & Norris produce less than 100 large works per year and there is often a waiting list of four months or more to acquire a Markow & Norris sculpture.
Though many would consider the painstaking nature of their work tedious, Eric Markow disagrees: “I have always been an extremely detail oriented person and I am most comfortable when working with a complex process. We like the precise nature of weaving glass and thrive on the fact that it is technically challenging to do. We rarely consider it too tedious to enjoy. It’s not difficult if you love doing it.”
Markow & Norris are the premiere woven glass artists in the world, with a proprietary and distinctive tightly woven technique. Every Markow & Norris piece is rare, handmade in the artists’ Virginia studio to be a one of a kind heirloom. For more information about Markow & Norris, their unique woven glass art or to request collector’s information please visit www.wovenglass.com or call 1-888-282-7081 for a gallery near you.
***Please see the nest babies™ feature in the current issue of: AmericanStyle Magazine (issue 54 April 2007).
Press Contact:
Marcy Clark
Yellow Sky Agency
212.729.9619
Marcy@nullyellowskyagency.com
