Glass Vessels

I chose to work with glass as I appreciate their transparent appearance which I thought would highlight the added latex texture and make them appear more interesting accompanied by the shadows and light penetrating the glass.

 

Additionally, the use of vessels provides a good metaphor for anatomical representation, with the body often being referred to as a 'vessel', thus making the outer layer of the vessel the skin, which has been shrewdly observed by other artists such as ceramicist Tamsin Van Essen within her Medical Heirlooms collection. 

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Whilst generally we don't enjoy seeing different textures on our own skin, myself included, the glass pieces became far more interesting as I build up layers of latex to create raised lines and bumps. Using clay sculpting tools was useful when I wanted to create small and detailed patterns, however I prefer using my hands to apply the layers of latex to create rougher, more abstract patterns with an uneven texture, not only because this makes it more similar to the texture of skin, but also because it makes me feel more connected to the piece, using my own hands and skin to create skin inspired artwork.