Artist Dylan Martinez combines several glassblowing and sculpting techniques to form hyperrealistic plastic bags from molten glass. Through these works, Martinez creates scenarios that obscure the viewer’s interpretation of reality and illusion. His curiosity in this subject matter is sparked by the fact that he was born red-green colorblind. This has presented Martinez an alternative way of seeing, and encourages his fascination with obscuring common perception in his glass-blown works.
“The trapped movement of the rising bubbles and the gesture of the forms convince the eye that the sculptures are just as they seem,” says Martinez in his artist statement. “What is fascinating is that our desires often override our true perception of reality and you believe what you think is visible as the truth.”
To begin, Martinez sculpts the solid glass or “water” that appears within each bag. Next, he adds a blown bubble to the top which is then smoothed out before he begins to hand sculpt each fold and wrinkle. Once complete, the sculpture is placed in an annealing oven at 950° F and allowed to cool for 120 hours.
Martinez recently opened a glass studio in White Salmon, Washington near his home in Hood River, Oregon. He has an upcoming self-titled solo exhibition at Echt Gallery in Chicago which opens on July 13. You can view more of the artist’s glass-based sculptures on his website and Instagram.
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