Sub-Surface Laser Etched Optical Crystal
(what I call "Dimensional Laser Art")

Thank you for coming to my page on my "Series" line of Dimensional Laser Art.  So why would I decide to create ART in a medium that has become so discounted in these last couple of years, for that a quick background is probably in order.

As some of you may know or seen, the market place is awash with a number of "penguins", "kissing couples" and the notorious "jumping dolphins" in 3D laser crystal.  I only say notorious because so many of these manufacturers produce their products from a "generic" CD distributed used as a startup kit for a number of these overseas government subsidized companies.

"In absence of creativity comes the mundane" is what I term this problem, for when I started doing these designs only a handful of companies existed in the world and the designers were hidden away - in fact there are still only a dozen or so.  The equipment isn't inexpensive either, with new systems at the low-end selling for around $160,000 (most of the equipment I work with cost around $250,00 and more) and a few for less but skimp on tolerances - you realize that a business needs to "produce" product to make its investment back - the nature of the beast.  

When I had first started noticing this "trend" and warned my clients of it, I was consistently told that "WE" have to compete with the lowest price, generic designed and fastest produced product.  Visions of cloned designs being stamped out this vast machine clouded my mind and I made a decision to not compromise the aesthetics of design simply for "profitability" or "market share". This is why I have chosen to focus on design and only work with producers that respect my designs and faithfully generate them.

This series is my attempt of reclaiming this art form as an art form and not simply a term used in mass production.  My designs while machine produced do take a considerable amount of time to "burn" when compared to the "jumping dolphins" and the crystal is always bigger, heavier, higher quality, and more expensive.  While I continue to design crystal for commercial and promotional ventures, even private commissions - the designs all retain the same level of attention but usually in a smaller size.  These can be seen on my promotional site SharpeAwards or my recently developed site at  SharpeCrystal which specializes in commissioned works, art and designs for enthusiasts.

 

Dimensional Design?

That's what I call it and while there isn't anything particular I can point to and say "that's a dimensional design" - it does exist and it is all around us.  It is not how furniture is placed in a room but it could be nor is it a sculpture but it could be.  To me the notion of Dimensional Design is anything that changes almost dynamically in perspective to the viewer with a minimal interaction - more like passive or visual interaction.  Think of the headstones at the Arlington Cemetery, entering the Sistine Chapel, the moiré effect from a chain link fence or the reflective interaction of Christopher Ries - those might be good examples if you look at them that way.

So how do I use dimensional design in my work - since my primary outlet is in glass, I use position, texture, and light.  In dimensional laser art, I use all these and a dose of negative space.  In my cold work of glass sculptures, inclusions and large bevels provide my texture and light shaping. 

Even some the wood work I have begun, dimensional textures provide the visual interaction through shadows and coloring and tactile stimulation in their exposed grain (this is a bit more interactive but a new fascination for me).

I believe that I am actually searching for "that moment of pause" - when we stop even for a second or two and say "ohhh" - something underlying the obvious.

 

Back to the Series

I know of only a few people that I consider artists that pay attention to the level of detail that I have chosen to work at - their background and work is mostly in the sciences.  The others work for companies that will produce them as long as people continue to buy them but tend to be concerned more production throughput. 

My work in this series is designed for art sake, no logos, no mottos and no interior views of a latest twin overhead cam motor - just artistic statement.  

The "Pushing Man " Series brings a bit of reality to the common mime pose - while the medium emphasize the technology of the art trying to break out if its "box" it is confined in - at least that is what it means to me. 

Each of the Series illustrates another aspect of this and a few others are purely geometric art.  Send me an email, if you would like to receive an announcement to a blind link showing these new works.  These pages will not be available to the general public and only available to those that request them.

Each design will be limited in production to 100 pieces, signed, dated and numbered. Various sizes and prices are anticipated - mostly larger. One design currently on the "design board" is estimated to be 32 pounds of Optical Crystal.

Feel free to contact me for more information, orders and answers to any question (regarding my work).

Thank you again for taking the time.