**First Time At Auction**

Scott Hartley (American). Art glass sculpture, 2003. Signed and dated just above the base. A mesmerizing glass sculpture by Scott Hartley presenting an elegant and impressively large drop form. Layers of violet, fuchsia, cobalt, and translucent glass elegantly swirl and come together to manifest in Hartley's masterwork. A breathtaking piece that is at once sophisticated, eye catching, and breathtaking by Scott Hartley who has stated, "GLASS is my escape. GLASS is the glimmer in my eye. . .GLASS is the perfect marriage of both art and science!" Size: 4.5" L x 7.25" W x 25.5" H (11.4 cm x 18.4 cm x 64.8 cm)

Artist Statement: "There is more to the art of glassblowing than meets the eye. Simply seeing the finished product as a beautiful glass sculpture is not truly enjoying art glass. Just as watching your child grow from one day to the next, the process of glassblowing is part of the amazement and wonder of glass.

Glass is made from a mixture of about 70% sand, soda ash, and several other chemicals. I mix this myself and load them into a glassblowing furnace, which reaches temperatures of 2,500 degrees. The furnace runs 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days each year.

A blowpipe is used to get gathers or layers of glass from the furnace. Both gathers & blowpipes vary in size according to the size of the piece being blown. For example, a ½-inch diameter pipe is used on a small, delicate Christmas ornament, whereas a 1 ½- inch diameter pipe is used for larger, sculptural pieces.

Glass artists work from the inside out on a piece. The larger the piece, the more layers of glass there are. Generally, the colored glass, dichroic glass, cane, designs, and detailing are done first using a variety of hot and cold glass chips and colored glass. Yes, ALL that you see in my work IS glass. Not much else could withstand these extreme temperatures. Spinning the pipe into the honey-like, molten glass at 2,000+ degrees is the fundamental basis of the entire process of glassblowing.

Molding and shaping the glass using a variety of sizes of wood blocks (bowls with handles), blowing air into the piece, using wet newspapers to shape the piece, swinging the glass with help from gravity, pure brute strength, and lots of skill and finesse are all part of the art of glassblowing.

While creating a piece, it is essential to keep it hot at all times using a reheating chamber that reaches temperatures of 2,500 degrees. Once the piece is completed and still hot, the piece is then broken off the pipe using precise marks and skill. The glass is placed in an annealing oven for 2 days to cool it to room temperature so as not to stress the glass and cause cracking. Finally, the glass is cut, ground, polished, cleaned, and signed which can take hours on some pieces. Once finished, the artistic journey is complete, for the time being, and the finished product is there for all to enjoy and cherish."

Provenance: private Goldstein collection, Denver, Colorado, USA. The Goldstein's have amassed their collection over the past six decades.

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#177079

Intact and excellent. Signed and dated just above the base.