Hi everyone! I hope you’ve all had a good two weeks!

Anyone who knows me will tell you that I have never really been a 3D artist. However, taking 3D Design last semester (as part of Art Foundation Year) and Sculpture this semester has given me the opportunity to explore three dimensional works. I was actually excited to start on the first piece! That is, until my professor told us we needed to use wire. Wire terrifies me. I struggle with wrapping it, cutting it, everything. I realized that if I had to use wire, I was going to need some inspiration. That’s how I found Annie Glass.

Glass is a sculptor from Melbourne, Australia. She works almost exclusively in wire, and her pieces are meant to represent childhood memories and relate to human experiences. Side note – my assignment was also about childhood, so finding Annie seemed like fate! Glass’s work is so intricate yet so whimsical and carefree. The juxtaposition of dark steel wire with lighthearted scenes works in her favor, creating an intriguing composition.

This is one of my favorites of her sculptures. Annie Glass’ In The Wire Room depicts herself in the process of making one of her other sculptures, which I believe to be Walkies (which is in the gallery below). What drew me to this piece was the spirals of wire surrounding the figure. Before reading the title, I thought that this might represent her thoughts, or maybe her creativity, only to realize it literally represents wire. It shows the haphazard paths of the wire as she moves it, continuously wrapping it to create the figure of the girl walking her dog. This sculpture honestly made me feel heard: this is exactly how I’ve felt sitting in my dorm weaving yarn into my wire horse. It felt like my materials were everywhere, taking control of the room (and my roommates will tell you that it did take over the room). Aside from how relatable this piece is, I love the composition itself. Despite using the exact same wire, you can easily discern the “loose” wire from the figure because of the difference in density. The figure, mini sculpture, and furniture are wrapped tightly and fully, creating a denseness that contrasts well with the airy quality of the wire that wraps around the negative space. I think the loose wire was done in a brilliant way: there is no pattern or perfect spirals, making it appear haphazard yet intentional.

Here are some more of Glass’ Sculptures that I love. Three of them especially stand out. Embrace utilizes color for the flowers to create a sense of love an adoration in the couple. Bambora uses color to create an interesting landscape and adds in chicken wire for the ocean to add dimension to the work, setting it apart from the boat and dolphins. In Shake, Glass uses glass beads to represent the water the dog is shaking off, which I think was an amazing idea; it feels like I’m seeing it happen in real life! Glass’ work is so intriguing to me – it almost makes me want to try wire again after this project… after a break from it, that is.

If you like Annie Glass’ work and want to see more or even purchase a sculpture, be sure to check out her Instagram!

All Images from Annie Glass on Instagram