David Patchen I'm captivated by glass, with its distinctive physical and optical properties and the ability to bend and layer color and light in three dimensions. I'm drawn to the technical challenges of traditional Venetian-style cane and murrine the myriad creative opportunities they offer. The intensity and unique properties of molten glass and the limited window it offers to complete my creation require urgency to the creative process that I find compelling. No matter how often I work with glass, the experience inspires me to continually push the limits of the material and my skill in working it. I find glass seductive yet unforgiving in how it physically and permanently reflects the artist's understanding of its complex properties. My work alternates between the firm lines of intentional forms and shapes inspired by the fluidity of liquid glass. "Resistenza" are an exercise in this balance -- softness and strength, transparency and opacity, contrasting and/or complimentary tones. Windows, strategically placed, provide views into and through the pieces to either contrast or disrupt their solidity and entice the viewer to peer inside. Resistenza either demand attention or have a quiet presence that invites closer examination. Biography Born and raised in New York, David Patchen has resided in the San Francisco Bay area for the past nine years. While a musician for two decades, he now exclusively directs his creative energies to expressions in glass and photography. David has studied with Sean Salstrum, Jerry Kung, Pamina Traylor and at the studio of Afro Celotto, maestro in Murano, Italy. David is actively involved in the glass arts community as Chairman Emeritus of the Board of Directors at Public Glass, Communications Chair of the Glass Alliance of Northern California and as a member of the Alliance of Clay and Glass Artists. David creates his work and occasionally teaches at Public Glass in San Francisco. His work is available at select galleries in the San Francisco Bay area, Chicago and New York City.