Lavae Aldrich, born and raised in the Pacific Northwest (b.1955), started making glass art after a 30 year career in architecture. She began kiln-forming glass in 2006 when she emigrated to Costa Rica . She is mostly self-taught, with an occasional seminar from some very generous teachers. “ I try to learn something new each time the kiln is fired.”
After 16 years in the tropics, Aldrich has again relocated, this time to the high desert of New Mexico. Working out of her studio in Los Lunas, her newest work is inspired by the arid landscape, big sky, and the multi-cultural customs and traditions of this part of the West. Still, her art is always informed by her years practicing as an architect. Her love for building things is engaged through the process of kiln forming glass.
Aldrich enjoys the wealth of technical possibilities for making art with glass; She is constantly exploring traditional tools, fresh materials, and innovative processes. With art driven by the medium itself, she uses layered light, dimensional textures, gravity and heat in ways that painters can’t. Aldrich enjoys teaching classes out of her studio in Los Lunas.
Reactive #4, #5, & #6
Experimenting with glass techniques and materials is my compulsion. The possibilities in kiln-forming are unlimited. Each time I fire the kiln, I try to learn something new. It’s very hard for me to want to do the same thing twice.
In this series of platters, the chemical reactions between silver inclusions and the inherent elements in different glass colors (mostly sulphur, lead, and copper) are explored. The halos around the silver are the result of these reactions and they vary with the glass color. The graphic design of these pieces is probably guided by my prior career as an architect. And after living 16 years in tropical Costa Rica, I am always looking for color in the landscape around me. This series attempts to present the harmony of the high desert while exposing the surprises I find there.
