All images are copyright protected © Cassandria Blackmore 2010
ARTIST STATEMENT:
Glass is a smooth, seductive and mysterious substance yet at the same time, a very ordinary substance. It can be as common as a wine glass or it can be a treasured work of art. It's part of our world culture. Glassmaking has been estimated to have been around for over 5,000 years. The same piece of glass can appear to be invisible at one moment and opaque another through its display of reflection. With my work you may, at times, see the painting through the transparent surface while later you might see the reflection of the environment around it thus obscuring the artist's physical mark. Glass is a chameleon of sorts, an illusionist.
There is a water-like quality to glass even though it is impervious to water. The way a brush glides across the smooth surface of the medium is appealing to me. I have always been attracted to the tactile qualities of mosaic, yet drawn to the fluidity of painting. I often wondered if I must choose between the two. I began painting on glass during a period in which I couldn't afford the expensive Italian glass I had become accustomed to. I was going through a tough time. I had moved to Seattle in the middle of a dark, gloomy winter. I was dealing with personal heartache and to top it off, I had no money for art supplies. I recall listening to Etta James while drinking a glass of wine in my Seattle loft when a family photograph caught my eye. It was a portrait of me with my bohemian parents in the late 60's. I really missed them. As I studied the photograph, I noticed the glass in the frame. That was a defining moment. The idea suddenly came to me. What if I remove the glass, paint a self portrait, shatter it and reassemble it like a puzzle? I was taking what shielded a physical memory from my past and turning it into my present. It was broken and put back together - an allegory for my life at the time. It was the perfect marriage of painting, image making, tactile qualities, reflection and resurrection. The fusion of painting and surface became my medium.
Reverse Painting: As I create an image, the viewer observes the most intimate of brush strokes. The true original intent of the artist is revealed and can not be covered by additional marks or revisions. Imagine a sheet of glass in between you and me. The first stroke of paint that I put down is the first stroke that you as the viewer sees. It is almost as if the viewer is on the inside of the painting. Whereas if I were painting on a canvas my very last stroke would be the first stroke the viewer would see.
My technique is a very permanent and literal way of working. I can't go back and place another stroke on top of the painting with the intention of changing it. Each stroke must be executed methodically. Reverse painting on glass is like painting on the invisible. Its reverse nature can be complicated, but it's a perfect fit for a dyslexic artist such as myself.
I choose color through mood or sometimes visuals I have observed. It could be something as simple as a pair of hot pink shoes, or the color of a mushroom growing out of a moss covered nurse log in the forest. I find inspiration for color palettes all around me. I also find that color in itself can produce emotion. It's interesting to think about colors as emotions and what happens when you combine them within a painting. At times they are charged with tension, yet other times they seem to pacify each other.
It's the essence of breaking down an image and restoring it to another version of itself that intrigues me.
BIO:
Cassandria Blackmore was born in California and spent part of her childhood in the San Francisco Bay Area with her English father and her American mother. She grew up on a self sustaining farm and learned at a very early age that everything had a process. Creativity was integral to existing.
Blackmore is acclaimed for her unconventional approach to reverse painting. She is widely-recognized as a pioneering artist whose work goes beyond the traditional boundaries of glass and into the contemporary realm. She studied at Lewis & Clark College, completed independent studies in Yorkshire, England, and received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Pacific Northwest College of Art where her thesis was on exploring Eastern and Western perspectives on art. She is a recipient of the prestigious Hauberg Fellowship for painting on glass. In 2006, she was honored as the Renwick Smithsonian artist of the month. Her work is collected internationally and exhibited in galleries and museums across the country.
Blackmore divides her time between Seattle and San Francisco.
Resume | 2010
SELECTED EXHIBITIONS
2010
SOFA New York, NY
Hawk Galleries, Columbus, OH
Palm Beach 3, Palm Beach, FL
Duane Reed Gallery, St. Louis, MO
2009
SOFA New York, NY
Duane Reed, Solo Show, St. Louis, MO
Friesen Gallery, Solo Show, Sun Valley, ID
Palm Beach3, Palm Beach, FL
SOFA, Chicago, IL
Duane Reed Gallery, Solo Show, St. Louis, MO
2008
Friesen Gallery, Seeds of Compassion, Seattle, WA
Hawk Galleries, Les Dames du Verre, Columbus, OH
SOFA NewYork, NY
Palm Beach3, Palm Beach, FL
Lowe Gallery, Solo, Santa Monica, Los Angeles, CA
Cervini Haas Gallery, Solo, Scottsdale, AZ
Winston Wachter, New Visions in Glass. Seattle, WA
SOFA Chicago, IL
2007
Winston Wachter, Seattle, WA
Habatat Galleries,Tyson’s Corner, VA
SOFA New York, NY
Palm Beach3, Palm Beach, FL
Glass Weekend, Millville, NY
SOFA Chicago, IL
R. Duane Reed Gallery, St. Louis, MO
2006
Cervini Haas Gallery, Solo Show, Scottsdale, AZ
Habatat Galleries, Boca Raton, FL
R. Duane Reed Gallery, New York, NY
Edmonds Art Museum, Solo Show, Edmonds, WA
International Glass Conference, St. Louis, MO
Art Miami, Miami, FL
Stewart Gallery, Pilchuck 20, Boise ID
SOFA , New York, NY
SCOPE Art, The Hamptons, NY
R. Duane Reed Gallery, Solo Show, St. Louis, MO
SOFA Exhibition, Chicago IL
Palm Beach3, Palm Beach, FlL
2005
SOFA Exhibition, Chicago, IL
Wheaton Village, Glass Weekend, Millville, NJ
Art L.A., Los Angeles, CA
Art Palm Beach, Palm Beach, FL
Art Miami, Miami, FL
2004
Duane Reed Gallery, New York, NY
SOFA, Chicago, Chicago, IL
Duane Reed Gallery, Group Show, Miami, FL
2003
Friesen Gallery, Group Show, Sun Valley, ID
William Traver Gallery, Solo Exhibition, Seattle, WA
2002
International Glass Conference, Seattle, WA
2001
William Traver Gallery, Seattle, WA
2000
Vital 5, Seattle, WA
PUBLICATIONS
2010
The San Francisco Chronicle, June 13, San Francisco, CA
Harold Times, Bloomington, IN
Seattle PI, June 21, Seattle, WA
San Francisco Magazine, June, San Francisco, CA
The New Fillmore, San Francisco June, San Francisco, CA
Haute Living, May 27, San Francisco, CA
San Francisco Modern Luxury, May, San Francisco, CA
Reside SF, May, San Francisco, CA
2009
The Columbus, Show of The Year, Les Dames du Verre, Columbus, OH
Idaho Arts Quarterly, Interest and Impact”, Boise, ID
Boise Weekly, Phoenix Rising, Boise, ID
Seattle Homes, September issue, Seattle, WA
2008
The Columbus Dispatch, March 30, Columbus, OH
2006
Florida Architecture, spring issue, FL
2005
Glass Magazine, spring issue
2003
Seattle Weekly, Seattle, WA
2002
Resonance Magazine
1998
Seattle Times Dec. 4th, Seattle , WA
Seattle Times Nov. 5th, Seattle , WA
1995
Inkfish Magazine, OR
1994
The News Times, Newport, OR
The News Guard, Lincoln City, OR
1993
Willamette Week, Portland, OR
1992
Portland Art Museum, Portland, OR
AWARDS
2009
Columbus Ohio Show of the Year, Les Dames Du Verre,
2006
Renwick Smithsonian, featured Art of month, Washington D.C.
2002
John Hauberg Fellowship, Pilchuck, Stanwood, WA
1994
Award of Excellence in Art, The Fashion Group, Portland, OR
1993
Dean's List Award, Pacific Northwest College of Art, Portland, OR
SELECTED COLLECTIONS
2009
Waldorf Astoria
MGM Center, Las Vegas
Neiman Marcus
Washington State
Four Seasons
2008
University of Washington
Ritz Carlton
Carol Milgard Center
Seattle University
Washington Square Towers
Evergreen Hospital
2007
The Peninsula Hotel
Lexus Corp
Pacific Central Bank
Overlake Hospital
2004
Meridian Partners
2003
Deloitte Consulting
2002
The Bellevue Club
1999
City of Seattle
1994
Lincoln City Library
MEDIA
2005 UPN Station, Northwest Homes
2004 UPN Station, Pilchuck Glass Auction - interview
2002 Revolution,- interview
2002 Eye-V Arts, -nterview
1994 The Morning Show
EDUCATION
1992 BFA Pacific Northwest College of Art, Portland, OR
