Michael Diamond
Biography
I currently live in Kamilche, Washington.
I grew up exploring the forests, beaches and inlets of Puget Sound by foot and rowboat. The shapes and textures of bark, leaves, stones, shells, erosion and the patterns of light on water shaped my early impressions of the world. I am fascinated by the processes of nature, growth, geology and the stories told by fossils and archeological remnants unearthed from buried strata. The beauty of earth and water has always influenced my art.
I have been working in cast glass since 2013 and have worked in stone and metal for over ten years.
I got my first Yashica twin lens reflex camera when I was fifteen and started photography in high school.
Studied Fine Arts at the University of Puget Sound.
Studied Sculpture and Bronze Casting at Pierce College.
Graduated from The Evergreen State College in 1980 with a degree in media arts.
I worked in photography and media production for over twenty years doing commercial production, documentary, filmmaking, and interactive multimedia.
During my media career I had the opportunity to document a variety of archaeology projects and developed a lifelong interest in the stories told by artifacts of ancient cultures. I continue to bring my love of archaeology to my work.
Beauty enhances our lives and I hope to make art that brings joy and enriches the lives of people who bring my art into their homes. The appearance of glass objects are dynamic as they constantly change with the light.
Current member of Glass Art Society
Why Glass?
Cast glass captures a moment in the formation process of a molten liquid flowing into a solid form.
The planet is formed from a molten core forming geologic strata telling the story of its creation.
When I began working with glass in 2013, I was captured by the beauty, durability and history of the material. Glass has an internal life as well as an external form that shapes, transmits, diffuses and magnifies light like no other medium. It combines transparency with opacity, texture with color, density with luminosity. It is both fragile and enduring.
While today we use glass as an everyday object, the first glass was made for emperors and kings, its vivid colors matched only by precious stones. Glass making dates back to 3600 BC when people began melting sand and soda ash in Mesopotamia and Egypt to cast, carve and grind glass objects, a process that remains fundamentally the same today.
I am constantly fascinated by the process of forming glass.
The glass-casting process involves distinct stages of development.
• objects are carved from wax or gelatin and impressions are taken of objects and textures in nature, from the surfaces of stone, shell, plants, trees and other found objects.
• the completed model is then coated in a refractory plaster mix to make the mold.
• the original model is then steamed out of the mold to make the space for the glass to be melted into.
• the plaster mold is often carved to modify, reshape and add detail
• the mold is then placed in the kiln and filled with the glass to be melted into the mold.
• the kiln temperature is then raised to around 1500 degrees and the glass becomes liquid and melts into the mold. After firing for a day or so the kiln is slowly cooled for 4 to 10 days, depending on the size and intricacies of the piece.
• Next the mold is taken out of the kiln and the plaster mold is carefully removed from the glass piece.
• The glass is then ready to be cold worked. I use abrasive hand pads and power tools to carve, shape, grind and then to finally polish the glass to its finished form. Metal can also be included into the glass during firing or heat bonded to the surface to form a patina,
• A sculptural base is then fabricated from stone, metal, wood or glass. Lighting features are then fit into the base.
Each piece is one of a kind.