"Reversing plasticity while safekeeping Light embodies the magic of Glass. Flow of molten glass can be mesmerizing as much as its obstinacy and unyielding nature maddening. The translucency and inner glow are inspirational. Fluidity facilitates wide range of forms and expressive potential.
Enough to satisfy my curiosity and yearning for object making.
Better part of creative energy is exhausted to explore forms and shapes unique to glass as a medium. Two parallel lines of inquiry take place. One's aim is a minimal, visually balanced statement. The objective is to capture a visual impulse, refine and represent its bare minimum. Challenge is to stop extensive editing at the ideal moment, just before the essence dissipates.
Second line revolves around reassembly of deconstructed and partially degraded, once visually appealing forms. Juxtaposition of perfection and decay may be a reflection on Time and Memory. Perhaps. Or release from tightly controlled process outlined above.
The outcome is abstract forms sculpted out of glass.
The visual impulse is usually found at the crossroads of memories, pencil marks and desperation while roaming the realm of subconscious. Most frequently, away from the studio. No effort is made to directly interpret surroundings or intriguing visual phenomena. Separate by years and only on some occasions the visual impulse becomes evident. Insofar, I haven't successfully located the inspiration on demand. Days or weeks of draught can pass before the cracks appear in the accumulated sediment.
Sketching initiates the hands-on process. The essence of form is created on the pipe by free blowing and shaping. The hot shop stage exploration is direct. Mishaps end up back in the furnace. At times frustrating, but often pointing to a new direction or return to sketching. In the cold shop, cutting exposes the sought after curves, grinding and sanding fine-tunes the details. Surface carving and sandblasting provide the texture. Sandblasted is the preferred finish as it allows a better grasp of lines and forms. Polishing is used sparingly. When employed, it enables the objects to morph better with the surrounding space or to highlight volumes within. Some work requires assembly, inclusion of laminated glass, steel elements or iron oxide coating. Pebbles and river stones are shaped by nature and frequently turn into focal points. In a broad sense - forming, shaping, abrasion and polishing of pebbles by elements mirrors what happens at the studio. This however does not constitute the reason for their inclusion.
Departing from glassblowing tradition, the substantial walls and asymmetrical shapes are the consequence of sculptural pursuit predating glass engagement, that of free-flowing and minimal forms. The focus on Form has left some unique qualities associated with glass, brilliant colors especially, beyond the horizons of interest. Attention to visually refined detail is critical, both for the piece created and as jump off point for the future work.
Glass is an active co-author all along. Strictly imposing my will rarely delivered."
Alex Fekete first arrived to the U.S. on Fulbright Scholarship in 1992 and received his MFA two years later. His affair with sculpted glass started around the same time, coming into clearer focus over the last decade. He was born in then Czechoslovakia.
Alex Fekete's glasswork was shown at SOFA Chicago and New York, Glasswekend at Wheaton, Crafts America and CraftBoston Shows, National Liberty Museum in Philadelphia, K-Gallery in Bratislava, Slovakia. It was commissioned for Provena Medical Centers in Urbana and Danville, IL. His glasswork appeared in New Glass Review, American Style, most recently in the book Art Glass Today. It received the Excellence Award | Ohio Designer Craftsmen, Best Sculpture Award | Mitchel Museum, IL, Award of Excellence | Westchester Craft Show, Cohn Family Trust prize | Philadelphia Museum of Art craft show, Excellence in Glass Award | West Palm Beach Craft Show.