what we keep sacred.

it's a wonder why it has taken me so long to write about glass artist andy paiko.  (this may be partially due to how hard it is to find large images of his work . . .) i had the chance to see some of these in person at wexler gallery here in philly as part of an amazing group show, (which i wrote about here for HF) and they are just as stunning as them seem to be in images. 

for as long as i can remember, i have been attracted to vessels, objects that can house and contain other objects. as a kid, my father would re-purpose large wooden wine boxes for me to use as carrying cases for my crayons and paper; i suppose this may be where the obsession started and has since grown into my adulthood. freckled throughout my home are the various evidences of this, i have numerous bell jars that house shells and bone and other natural treasures, olde cigar boxes that hold tarot decks and photo booth strips, even antique apothecary jars that still have the residue of the powdered drugs they once held. at the root of this is the desire to revere 'sacred' or personally meaningful objects, to contain what is secret, its value unseen except by those who made it so by way of the vessel.

so much of what i love about reliquaries is embodied in andy's work. it has the touch of the Victorian, seemingly plucked from an era long gone, and yet still has the air of the modern, as many of the bell jars have elongated bodies, etchings or glass growths such as coral. i hope to own day be able to have one for myself, for me to keep a piece of the most sacred object of mine i have yet to name. 

a bit more here.