out side in
the Art of
john
kiley
hen I was a child, our house underwent a remodel. The yard was messy, full of piles of soil and mud; in short, a boy’s paradise. A favorite pastime of the neighborhood kids was engaging in dirt-clod throwing wars on our backyard battleground.
One day, while preparing for a battle, I picked up a pile of ammunition and began to fashion it into what would be the perfect muddy weapon. Slowly and deliberately I shaped it with my bare hands until the amorphous clod of mud began to take the form of a ball. I became obsessed, shaping for probably an hour, and eventually created a perfect sphere. To me, this tennis ball sized object seemed much too perfect to sacrifice in battle, so I placed it in a small glass dish, and hid it inside the tool shed. There it lived, until one spring day when I decided that I would impress my fellow combatants. Upon revealing the sphere, not a single one of my comrades believed that it was merely dirt. They were all sure that it must be a ball coated with mud. I pondered the options: return my treasure to the shed, or break it open and impress my friends? Looking at the broken pile of earth, splayed out on the sidewalk, I felt a sense of pride that I had created something so perfect, and a sense of loss that I ruined it. Gazing upon what was left, clearly a broken sphere, rounded edges still intact, with the rough inside sections casting shadows, questions arose: Which is more beautiful; intact or sectioned, outside or inside, shapes or shadows? Why was I so drawn to this form and now its broken remnants? The glass sculptures that I make are related to this experience. They are an exploration of external and internal form; a study of shadow, reflection and light, and a metaphor for relationships. I strive to create objects that push the material beyond its simple inherent beauty. When I look at a finished piece, it should be apparent to me that it should only exist in glass. ~ John Kiley
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Cover: Apricot Overlap 2010 15 x 13 x 15�t
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Preference 2011 12 1/2 x 12 x 11�
Oppose 2010 13 x 14 x 11�
John Kiley’s Sculptures are simultaneously elegant, sublime and challenging. The works balance precariously at an uncanny angle while the overlapping shapes create a sense of harmony. Using the design principle of negative/positive space, the artist gives the eye a “place to rest,” increasing the appeal of a composition through subtle means. Viewed from any angle, there is balance, tension, air and a sense of movement in the architectural space the work occupies. One can view Kiley’s work as studies in architectural form. Utilizing the transparency of the glass medium, he creates spaces to explore that are visible both from the outside and the inside, allowing the viewer to enter from a variety of directions. While Kiley’s work gives reference to modernist sculpture which embraces the essence and purity of form, in the more recent works we see aspects of deconstructivism characterized by fragmentation. This kind of ease of interplay and dialog with his sculptural applications can only be achieved with great facility and technical expertise. ~Kim Saul & Jim Schantz, 2011
Falling Overlap 2011 16 x 14 x 13 1/2�
Closed Passage 2011 15 x 8 x 13�
Balance 2011 13 x 13 x 13�
Lemon Ice EclipsE 2011 15 x 14 1/2 x 14 1/2 “
Crested Ellipse 2011 11 x 14 x 11 “
Conjoint 2011 10 x 17 x 12 1/2”
Projection 2011 13 x 11 x 13”
John Kiley TEACHING EXPERIENCE Instructor - Pratt Fine Art Center-Seattle, WA Visiting Instructor - The Bezalel Academy of Arts- Jerusalem, Israel Teaching Assistant to: Dante Marioni, Richard Marquis, Benjamin Moore, Checco Ongaro and Lino Tagliapietra Visiting Instructor - The National College of Art and Design, Dublin, Ireland Visiting Glassblower - Waterford Crystal, Waterford, Ireland PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE Glass Director The Schack Art Center Everett, WA Lino Tagliapietra Inc. Seattle, WA - Team Coordinator/ Principal Assistant to Lino Tagliapietra Seattle Batch Inc. Seattle, WA - Owner Dante Marioni - One of two regular glass assistants to Dante Marioni in his studio. SELECTED EXHIBITIONS & AWARDS “Fertile Ground” The Museum of Glass, Tacoma, WA Solo show “The Space Within” – Traver Gallery, Seattle WA Best in Show/Peoples Choice Award – The Museum of Glass - Red Hot Auction, Tacoma, WA Artist In residence – The Museum of Glass - Tacoma, WA Group Exhibition, Schantz Galleries, Stockbridge, MA Best in show - Breakthrough Ideas in Global Glass-Hawk Gallery & O.S.U., Columbus, OH Featured Artist - The Museum of Glass-Tacoma, WA
Chihuly Studio, Inc. Seattle, WA - Glassblower/Gaffer - Only glassblower to work in all venues for the “Chihuly Over Venice” Project, including Finland, Ireland, Mexico, and Italy. Promoted to Gaffer at the age of 21. Benjamin Moore, Inc Seattle, WA - Glassblower 1993-1994 The Glass Eye Studio Seattle, WA - Glassblower/ Coldworker
© 2011 Schantz Galleries Publications Photography: Jeff Curtis
“Which is more beautiful; intact or sectioned, outside or inside, shapes or shadows? Why was I so drawn to this form and now its broken remnants?”
Apricot Overlap
2010 15 x 13 x 15”
S chant z Galleries c o n t e m p o r a r y
a r t
3 Elm Street, Stockbridge, Massachusetts 413·298·3044 schantzgalleries·com