John Brekke @ Duncan McClellan Glass

Duncan McClellan Glass, front entrance

Among John Brekke's [Link] many credits, once upon a time he was Duncan McClellan's teacher. Brekke describes himself as a "mark maker", regardless of the medium he is working with drawing, painting or glass. That concern for line expands into light, tone and texture and a signature that is evident through the work in the current show at Duncan McClellan Glass.

Work by John Brekke

 "Orange Birds", on left, was made via the Graal technique. This involves overlays of different colored glass, which is allowed to cool and is then cut or engraved to reveal color. Afterwards, more layers are applied. All of this layering and sometimes bubbles make for delicate-looking pieces that can be on the heavy side. The process can take many steps and dozens of hours to complete a single piece. This one has a graphic, dreamy, child-like quality about it.

Here is another Graal piece, titled "Elgin". Yellow-and-black hares run freely through what looks like a background of grass.

John Brekke, "Delta Tango"

The drawing shown on left is gouache, acrylic paint and ink on board. The complex symmetry and incredible attention to detail is hard to convey in a photograph and is (by far) best seen in person. Duncan told me some of these drawings took extraordinary amounts of time to complete. They are contemplatively hypnotic.

Works by John Brekke

Here are five smaller Graal pieces titled "Icons Large". On the top piece there is a bird, in the middle three, hares, and at the bottom, a fish.

Works by John Brekke

On the left is a sequential fish spread across several individual pieces.

Congratulations to John Brekke and Duncan McClellan Glass for a good show.


--- Luis




PS. I understand that on 2nd Saturday Dec. 8th., Mr. Brekke (and many other major glass artists) will be present at DMG.