Named for a scientific term referring to the tendency of plants to orient themselves in relation to light in their environment, Jay Macdonell's new exhibition Phototropism presents several distinct bodies of work. Each uses light and the inherent qualities of glass to explore and comment on personal and spatial relationships.
The show introduces two entirely new series in which Macdonell combines simple blown glass forms assembled into larger scale projects. Phototropism also presents a selection of Macdonell’s Allium sculptures. These colorful works represent an ongoing exploration of the artist’s Formulations series, in which he joins three separate blown glass components – while hot – to create a single dynamic piece. The earlier iterations of these sculptures were kept meticulously on center, but as the series has progressed, they have become more gestural and expressive, twisting and turning like the undulating forms of the bulbs and flowers that inspired them.
