The Glass Art of Raven Skyriver by Stonington Gallery

the glass art of Raven Skyriver

presen t ed by stonington gallery

All works by Raven Skyriver.

Photography by kp studios/ACME Creative, Russell Johnson, and Gregg Blomberg.

Catalog design and essay by Sarra Scherb.

Catalog produced 2017 Š Stonington Gallery Some works in this catalog are no longer available. Please inquire with the gallery for availability, pricing and commissions with the artist.

stonington gallery contemporary masterworks of the northwest coast and alaska 125 South Jackson Street Seattle WA 98104 Located in Historic Pioneer Square Open Daily | Celebrating 38 Years 206.405.4040 stoningtongallery.com art@stoningtongallery.com

Cover: detail of “Bryde’s”.

Blown, Off-Hand Sculpted & Cold-Worked Glass Bryde’s Whale.

Spread: detail of “Gyre”. Blown, Off-Hand Sculpted, Carved and Sandblasted Glass Sea Turtle.

R av e n Skyriver

R

aven Skyriver (Tlingit) stands at the edge of the hot-shop arena at the Museum of Glass in Tacoma, WA in the last quiet moments of the morning. With his long, dark hair, graphic tshirt and wry, self-deprecating grin, you might mistake the young man for an assistant or apprentice. But that thought is banished as he leads his team into the arena and his cool veneer of professionalism and confidence settles around him like a mantle.

Under his direction from the bench, his team bursts into action: gathering molten glass on the end of a pipe; adding patterns of powdered glass to the gather; standing by with torches. The doors to the glory hole swing open, and the team wheels the enormous gather of glass over to Skyriver, who sits with jacks and tweezers at the ready. He tweaks and pulls, and the shape of an eye ridge begins to emerge. Then, before the glass can cool and crack off the pipe, it is rushed back into the heat of the glory hole. Over the course of the next few hours, Skyriver will patiently, precisely transform the hot glass into the recognizable features of a gray whale. And it will become clear that this visionary young artist is no apprentice, but a maestro in his own right.

At 35 years old, Skyriver has already cleared a space for himself in the crowded pantheon of the Northwest Glass scene. His realistic blown and off-hand sculpted sculptures of aquatic creatures are majestic creations that instantly elicit respect and awe. Learning at the side of William Morris during the final years of his storied career, blowing with Lino Tagliapietra’s team in Brazil, working with Karen Willenbrink-Johnsen, Martin Janecky, and many others, Skyriver has learned from the best glass instructors working today.

Skyriver’s ability to sculpt huge gathers of molten glass on the fly with hand tools comes from a remarkable blend of vision, patience, audacity and improvisation. He has been able to create sculptures of a size and weight that many wouldn’t dare, while preserving the proportions and details that might otherwise be lost in the process. Glassblowing is one of the most physically taxing forms of art-making, requiring laser-like focus in an environment that is hot, busy, noisy, full of moving team-mates, and hazardous materials. Working in tandem with a team requires that the lead artist is precise, articulate and have perfect timing: a ring-master in a ring of fire.

Above: Raven Skyriver shapes a gather of glass with a pad of compressed newspaper at PRATT Fine Arts. Photo by kp studios.

Right: Detail of “Awaken”. Blown and off-hand sculpted glass iguana. Photo by ACME Creative.

Yet, technical skill alone does not explain the soulfulness that Skyriver is able to convey in his forms. That comes from the source of his inspiration: the Pacific Northwest environment, the animal life of his home ecosystem, and his Tlingit heritage. Growing up kayaking, hiking and playing in the woods on Lopez Island, WA, the natural world of the Salish Sea has become a deep part of him.

“In my work I try to capture the essence of the creatures that I portray, and imbue them with a spark of life.” says Skyriver.

“For me, these pieces speak to our connection with the natural world, and how delicate that world is. My hope is that the work invokes a personal memory, or stirs a deeper perhaps forgotten emotional connection. We rely on this planet to sustain us, just as all living things do, and I want to highlight our interdependence, and our place within the web of life.”

Skyriver’s animal subjects are plucked not only from the Pacific Northwest landscape, but from the myths of the Tlingit people. Salmon, clams, whales, ravens, and frogs are iconic characters that populate indigenous stories from around the Northwest, and are responsible for teaching lessons and explaining the world in which we live. Having grown up with legendary Nuuchah-nulth artist Joe David as one of his “uncles,” Skyriver shows a deep respect not only for the ecosystem of his home, but for its artistic and historic legacies.

In the Museum of Glass hot-shop, it is 4:30pm. After hours of heavy, hot, achingly precise work, Skyriver and his team have just completed the largest piece they have ever attempted: a gray whale that clocks in at over five feet long and fifty five pounds. As soon as the annealer doors close, the team high fives, dizzy with relief. Skyriver lets his serious veneer slide for just a moment; he jumps two feet into the air with an exhilarated whoop, looking like an excited teen.

Then, it is back to work: thanking his teammates, gathering up reference photos and tools, waving shyly to the applauding audience, and heading home to rest up for another long day of work tomorrow.

devilfish (giant pacific octopus)

Blown & Off-hand Sculpted Glass on Stand 17”h x 27”w x 18”d

flux (giant pacific octopus)

Blown & Off-Hand Sculpted Glass, Metal Stand 21”h x 30”w x 13”d

huntress (steller’s sea lion) Blown, Off-Hand Sculpted and Sandblasted Glass, Metal Stand 38”h x 16”w x 18”d

Rossmar (pacific walrus)

Blown, Off-Hand Sculpted, Acid-Etched Glass 10”h x 13”w x 17”d

rainbow (trout)

Blown, Off-hand Sculpted, Glass with Silver Foil on Stand 16.25”h x 24”w x 6.5”d

chinook (chinook salmon)

Blown & Off-Hand Sculpted Glass, Foil, Metal Stand

18”h x 34”w x 8”d

Silvery Scales: To create the look of realistic fish scales, the artist places a sheet of silver over a hot gather of glass (top right). He adds more layers of clear glass over it (center right), and sifts powdered glass over it to add color. Then, as he begins to shape the gather using tools such as jacks, paddles, and pads of compressed newspaper, the single sheet of silver begins to break up into small bits within the glass (bottom right).

Born and raised on the small island of Lopez in Washington state, I was taught the connection between myself and my surroundings.

Spending my time on the water or in the woods, I grew to appreciate the connection between the food on our table, and the salmon in the ocean, or the deer in the garden.

-Raven Skyriver

Dorado (Mahi Mahi)

Blown, Off-Hand Sculpted Glass with Dichroic Glass on Metal Stand 18.5”h x 36”w x 9.5”d

see? turtle!

Skyriver will often pre-make sections of particularly complex sculptures. In “Adrift” the flippers, head, shell and tail were each sculpted hot, then cooled down and coldworked. To achieve the skin-like texture, Skyriver masked off large sections of the glass, then sandblasted down through the layers to reveal the white glass beneath. It took roughly 40 hours of blowing, carving, taping, designing, and sandblasting to get them ready to add to the main body.

These photos show him and the team assembling all the pieces at the hotshop over the course of a few intense hours. Skyriver heats the pre-made shell, then drops a huge gather of molten glass into the center (center, left) to fill out the body and give the flippers something to adhere to. Flippers are added (top right, center right) and as the size grows, it’s all hands on deck.

Once the sculpting is finished, it’s time to crack the piece off the pipe. A teammate suits up in a heat-resistant suit to make the catch (bottom right) and run it into the annealer where it will slowly cool over many hours.

All photos taken by Natalie Mall at the Museum of Glass.

adrift (sea turtle)

Blown, Off-hand Sculpted, Carved and Sandblasted Glass on Stand 11.5”h x 9”w x 25”d

homeward iii (humpback whale)

Blown, Off-Hand Sculpted and Sandblasted Glass, Metal Stand 21”h x 30”w x 13”d

Grey (grey whale) Blown, Off-Hand Sculpted, Acid Etched & Cold-Worked Glass, Metal Stand.

Cold-Working by April Surgent.

15.25”h x 26.5”w x 9”d

The marine creatures I create lend themselves to the fluidity of glass, and its reflective nature.

Using these native animals I hope to evoke the excitement of the salmon running, or the miracle of a whale migrating 5,000 miles.

I also want to draw into question the balance of nature.

How does the presence of these creatures affect us? What does the future hold for these animals?

-Raven Skyriver

Mother (humpback whales)

Blown, Off-Hand Sculpted, Sandblasted and Carved Glass on Metal Armature 27”h x 46”w x 14”d

relic (nautilus)

Blown, Off-Hand Sculpted and Sandblasted Glass with Dichroic Glass, on Metal Stand Collaboration with Kelly O’Dell 14”h x 16”w x 6”d

find (abalone shell)

Blown, Off-Hand Sculpted and Sandblasted Glass with Dichroic Glass, Rope 6”h x 16”w x 10”d

steamer (clam shell)

Blown, Off-Hand Sculpted and Sandblasted Glass on Stand 13”h x 15”w x 12”d

embrace (sea otters)

Blown, Off-Hand Sculpted and Sandblasted Glass on Stand 13”h x 33”w x 9”d

anchor (seahorse)

Off-hand Sculpted, Sandblasted Glass on Stand 11”h x 5”w x 4”d

anticipate (western chorus frog)

Off-Hand Sculpted, Acid-Etched Glass, on Metal Stand 16.75”h x 26”w x 6”d

stonington gallery 125 south jackson street s e at t l e , w a 9 8 1 0 4 206.405.4040 S T O N I N G T O N G A L L E R Y. C O M