Fused Glass Tiles on Plexiglass

Beyond the Horizon: Fused Glass Tiles on Plexiglass Sheets

Fused glass tiles adhered to two layers of plexiglass sheets. The tiles are laid in horizontal configuration along prefabricated strips of colored plexiglass to create a sense of journey. The aim is to create mixed media artwork that presents a single vision of composition, proportion, color, and a story. The work attempts to describe the horizon line, ever-changing but never-ending. This section is organized by four-color themes: Beige, Green, Red, and Blue, each with its unique personal impressions and symbolism.  

Beige Deserts: A Journey of Wonder

The Beige series depicts a desert journey, a voyage filled with a sense of wonder inspired by the silence between the rocks and the sky. I was born in Be’er-Sheva, located in the Negev Desert in southern Israel; thus, I am only half kidding when I say that my love for the desert has its origins way back.

More than any other geographical area, the desert is where the horizon line is uninterrupted from side to side by any obstruction, being a structure or anything else. The desert’s variety of colors seems monochromatic, but it is rich and expansive if only the eyes open up along with the soul.

I like touring deserts, it’s like an answer to a call, and it always feels like going home. The vast open space and the proximity to my higher power take my breath away and fill me up with joy. I have been to some stunning deserts in my travels, for example, Salar de Uyuni in Bolivia, Mudd in India’s Spiti Valley, the Gobi Desert in Mongolia, and Death Valley in California.

Green: A Journey Alongside a Forest

The Green series theme is a journey alongside a forest. This vision inspiration came from memories I had not experienced firsthand, yet I often felt as if I did.

I visited Poland, my father’s birthplace, a few times and was always amazed at how vast the forests were. Forests cover 30% of Poland’s land. During the Holocaust, Jews were transported to concentration camps on cattle trains. The location of all concentration camps was in Poland. Entire families stood shoulder to shoulder with no food or water. I often imagined my father in those horrible trains; what did he feel, and what did he see if he peered out through a slit in the wood panels? The image that comes to my mind is endless green forests and a blue sky.

In my travels, I encountered green sceneries of forests in Sequoia Park in California, Big Bend Park in Texas, and the Bolivian Amazon Jungle.

Red: Expressing an Inner Fire

The red series attempts to portray a particular state of mind and not a definite geographical ambiance. I love working with red colors; I find the variety of possible combinations within the reds endless. These are the colors that quickly access my inner fire, the emotions that continually want to burst out yet are, most of the time, being held tightly. 

The method I perfected in my glasswork, by which I twist the glass while in its molten state, is as close as one can get to touching the fire. I explain it in detail in the blog Healing Trauma Through Art: The Transformative Power of Art 

I visited only a few locations that bring up the red color gambit. Still, the ones that do are exquisite: Zion Canyon in Utah, Tsagaan Suvarga in Mongolia, and the Grand Canyon in Arizona.

Blue: Exploring the Sublime

The Blue series is about a journey through a body of water or the sky. Blue is a cool color that creates a sense of space; it’s a soothing color, reducing stress and slowing the heart rate. In some religions, the color blue is associated with the Gods and the powers of the sky. Therefore, blue symbolizes inspiration, spirituality, harmony, serenity, and flow. 

Some of the most transcendent blue scenery I witnessed occurred at Halong Bay in Vietnam, Isla Del Sol in Bolivia, and Lifeguard Station 56 in Los Angeles.