A: Is for man and nature becoming one

I remember the first time I saw the work of Toshio Iezumi. I had been gallery hopping with Sarah and we had been assaulted by some really bad art. Intrigued by a photograph in Art in America I was determined to see a show at The Chappell Gallery located at 526 West 26th right in the heart of Chelsea’s art district. Sweaty, hot and exhausted we made our way there and when we reached the doorway the sight that awaited our eyes was breath taking. Water like glass sculptures were reflecting a sun filled room. Prisms of color and iridescent light surround the space. As we entered it encompassed us in a spinning world of beauty that was so glorious. I have since been a big fan and dream of day when one of his pieces will adorn my home. Inspired by Donald Judd and Brancusi, Japanese glass sculptor Toshio Iezumi currently teaches his craft at Kurashiki’s University of Arts and Science. He bases his creativity on mathematical equations perfecting light. Born in 1954 he studied in Japan, Scandinavia and Czechoslovakia. Winning several prestigious awards along the way. Featured in some of the greatest glass museums of the world they include the Museum of Glass in New York / Tokyo Glass Art Institute, Kawasaki / The Corning Museum of Glass and Kunst museum , Dusseldorf, Germany. He is represented in NY by Chappell, The Johanson Collection and SOFA. Toshio’s work evokes the surface of gently flowing water, scooped up into a blue-green disc. The soft, morphing glass surface bears a dynamic component suggesting the surface tension of water, yet remains static at the same time. The work does not repel the viewer’s gaze but draws it in, guiding it into the deepest inner reaches but never allowing it to focus onto a set image. The external space that surrounds the work is reflected within, and yet the way it appears changes in accordance with the glass’ complexities of thickness and distortion, as well as the point at which the viewer’s gaze is directed. The same things can be seen in every "work of art". But considering that glass has a property of being split into appearance and existence Toshio Iezumi has found limitless beauty in the property of this material and his work is a phenomenon of nature blending with man. You can find his work and or see his lectures in 2007 at The Glass Art Society convention in Pittsberg in May, Habatat Galleries in MI and at SOFA in NY June 1-3. I recommend highly that you see this impressive display of what one can do with glass and the transformative qualities it can have on one's soul and then you too will know this is a F.A.C.T.