An avid traveler and an artist captivated by nature, Peter Bremers is known for channeling his awe of monumental landscapes through glass sculpture. As an expression of his respect for the wonders of the earth, Bremers created two highly regarded series of sculpture, Icebergs & Paraphernalia and Canyons & Deserts, that capture the magnificence of icebergs and the majesty of the American Southwest. In Icebergs & Paraphernalia, Bremers uses undulating wave-like shapes, along with angular holes and arches to evoke a combination of ice and fire, light and color. He recreates in glass the openings and fissures in the glaciers, together with the unfathomable depths of the ice; and captures with furious intensity the transition of solid masses to melting ice. Jagged corners of ice seem to soften, layers of ice are revealed, and sharp forms are contrasted with smooth outer surfaces. Colors of varying intensity suggest the glacial waters and depths of the ocean in the wondrous extremes of the globe. Seeking to explore contrasts within nature, Bremers shifts from the frozen kingdom to the arid stone and rock of the desert in Canyons and Deserts, offering a view of the landscape like no other. The glass enables the viewer to seemingly enter canyons and gorges to look up and out at the natural formations that inspired the work. The juxtaposed smooth outer ridges and layers of weathering pay tribute to the forces of nature that created the natural wonders on which the series was based. But it is Bremers use of color with form that emphasizes the ephemeral qualities of the natural monuments of the American Southwest. To create his work in glass, Bremers first sculpts a hard foam model of the piece, imagining the final glass objects transparency, polished and structured surfaces and the optical effects. The finished model is used to make a plaster mold which is then filled with slabs of colored glass that are melted in the kiln. The piece must cool for up to three months, at which point it is ground and polished to its superbly detailed finish. Peter Bremers: The Glass Whisperer is a balance between the geologically opposite landscapes, highlighting the commonalities of splendor, tranquility, and fragility of overwhelming forms in nature.
