Briar Sculpture, by John Zidek
Today we meet John Zidek’s artwork. In just three days, at AFB Woodland Art Fair, we meet John Zidek himself.
John is an internationally recognized sculptor, one who has worked with bronze, wood, resin, and copper and glass throughout his career as an artist. His free-form, organically-inspired work is part through-the-looking-glass, part through-the-microscope. It meanders through space like a lively coral reef, its tentacles pulling in viewers who have to know “what is that?”
It’s glass. Hand blown glass. Glass that is delicately thin, fumed with titanium, layered, colored, and iridescent. It’s held together by copper. Copper that is seamless, reinforced, and dependable.
Detail of Briar, by John Zidek
John’s glass starts as a clear crystal combined with frits from Germany. The copper, which creates the infrastructure for the glass, starts as a flat sheet from Michigan. John’s materials are as interesting as his designs, and his artmaking is as scientific as it is creative. Here’s more from his website:
I selected copper as my metal for several reasons. It is flexible enough to be worked by hand and then through heat treating it can be made rigid.
Mangrove Bottom, by John Zidek
Another reason is permanence. Copper is found in sheet form in Michigan. It is layered between rocks and has been there for millions of years in its natural state. Copper was chosen for the Statue of Liberty for its resistance to salt air. The only issue with the statue to date has been the ironwork that has rotted away in the arm. Depending on formulas, bronze is 94-97% copper; the inclusions are to give it hardness. This allows me to use a museum brown bronze chemical patina for color. The metal is then clear coated with enamel and heat treated…
I braze all of my pieces at approximately 1800 degrees with oxygen/acetylene. The copper is at its melting point when I apply a copper rod to make the connection. Even though I schooled in jewelry and am familiar with soldering, the process to connect copper is much more intense. I like to build up the shoulders of my joints; consequently, the application of heat is very delicate. Too much and the entire joint dissolves and falls off. Of course, too little heat and nothing happens. It is the point between melting and dissolving that is critical…
My pieces have no soft solder, plumbers solder, epoxies, glues, etc, that will fail over time. The work basically becomes one piece and is permanent. In places where I have determined to use glass I have brazed a brass bolt. To secure the glass I use neoprene rubber washers and an industrial machinery knob with a brass insert. This is important as metals react with each other. If you were to use steel on brass, eventually the steel could become permanently attached.
John, who recently collaborated with collector Rock Wilson to produce a piece inspired by Blenko Glass for the Museum of American Glass, was born and raised in New Jersey. Fluorescent minerals are a unique geological feature of New Jersey, and John has created installations and sculptures that celebrate the interplay of these minerals and ultra violet light.
To learn more about the science behind his art, plan to visit John at Booth #110, between the basketball courts and the playground.
For a look at other artists coming to the fair and a schedule of art demonstrations, musical performances and kids’ activities, visit the Lexington Art League’s website. AFB Woodland Art Fair is this Saturday and Sunday, 10-6 and 10-5 respectively.
