Philadelphia-based artist Judith Schaechter works in stained glass, an art that reached its peak in the 12th Century but one that she found altogether irresistible. Why? "Unlike most raw materials," the artist says, "glass is extremely attractive before the artist ever touches it. I found I like to really manipulate it, stretch it, and transform and distort it in unnatural ways. I like to see what possibilities lie in mating difficult emotional ideas with sensuous but cruel materials. I like a lot of resistance. I like cold, hard, sharp, vicious stuff to fight with — I dislike compliance! Perhaps I want to punish it for being so pretty when I sometimes feel so ugly."
May 1, 2015
