(American b. 1953)
David Norton came to the world of glass through a local stained glass studio, where he learned fabrication and focused on architectural installations. To improve his design skills, he pursued private instruction in colored pencil drawing for one year. At the end of that year, David left stained glass behind. He wanted to incorporate detail in glass without the constraints of lead lines. Discovering fused glass, he taught himself to create painterly landscapes using glass frit. Seeking more ability, he trained in Italy with Miriam DiFiore who pioneered the use of frit in detailed glass landscapes. His work is the result of skills that he acquired from others, as well as his own discoveries.
David’s glass landscapes are composed of clear sheet glass and colored frit. He also forms some frit into glass rods, which he then shapes into delicate strings of glass with a torch. These become linear design elements. His landscape art is all glass with no paint involved in the process. This work is constructed of multiple layers which impart a 3D image in the glass. They require an average of 14 kiln firings to complete.
“My intention is to render the beauty of God’s creation into glass. My interpretation of nature is focused more on emotion than just reality. I want the viewer to cross a threshold and enter a tranquil place where they can leave distractions behind, even for just a moment”.
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