Paul Messink (He/Him)
I am an artist who works with glass. My current body of work is based on Abraham Lincoln’s first inaugural address, where he spoke to a deeply divided country, and in a call for unity appealed “to the better angels of our nature”.
Angels are religious figures. But they also reference heroes and first responders, or anyone who saves a life, assists us in a significant way, or simply brings us joy. (As in: “Angel, bring me a beer??”)
My angel wings are made from cast glass, using a modern variation on the centuries-old pate de verre (“glass paste”) technique. Small bits of colored glass are packed in a mold, then slowly formed in a kiln at low heat – so low that the glass crystals do not completely melt but retain a bit of a “sugar cube sculpture” texture to the surface.
