Artist Statement:  Liz Renee

I have been a sculptor for most of my life, working in a variety of media in order to create narrative works that offer political and/or social commentary.  I believe that art should have an emotional impact.  Art should say something.  My work is all about what I feel about life.  When creating I always incorporate a strong personal presence that is meant to facilitate dialogue with the viewer.  This visual dialogue enhances the emotional content of my work; engaging with the viewer on a personal level, creating a vulnerability that is essential to highlighting the fragility and transitory nature of life.

My passion for glass as a medium of expression is exhibited in the many ways that I choose to work with glass, from pate de verre and kiln casting to all variety of kiln forming processes.  My most recent work focuses on the use of glass with mixed media.  These narrative assemblages form a series of works  that I call "Remnants, Fragments & Phantoms".  In this series, I combine cast glass elements with found objects, as well as personal and family mementos.  While focusing on a clear narrative, I utilize strong compositional techniques to speak to the viewer on many levels, emphasizing contrasting textures and colors to create mood and tone.  Although my work has personal and anecdotal significance, it speaks directly to our shared human condition through common life experiences. 

Apart from the strategic use of the elements and principles of design,  the emotional connection that I create in my works is strengthened by the careful selection of found objects.  Some objects appear regularly in my work, with the intention of creating a visual iconography that is accessible to viewers.  The use of found objects and personal mementos reinforces the fragility of life, as they show signs of usage and aging, and will continue to do so over time.   Found objects are evocative, as one can speculate on their history and can imagine people using them in other places and times.  Adding glass to my assemblages imposes another level of fragility... the possibility of breakage.  I like that the glass is alluring due to it's unique qualities of color, transparency and/or translucency.  And yet, if broken, may cause harm.  This duality of preciousness vs. danger is appealing to me.

As a sculptor, most of my work on a formal level deals with various aspects of three dimensional space:  3-D form and space, figure/ground, light and shadow.  I have always been intrigued by exploring space artistically, whether in the creation of actual sculptures, or the simulation of space in 2-D media.  This spatial element can be of primary importance, as exemplified in my Deconstruction Drawings, where I literally "play" with space.  Yet the subtle use of space, placement, light and shadow is evident in all my works, and as such, is a critical element.