tale of whale — Jill Bittner

Artist Statement

In childhood, time and reality are suspended in favor of joy and imagination. As an adult, I find myself constantly searching to escape or reimagine the way things really are. The ability to suspend actuality comes so easily and unprompted at a young age, but today I seek out the fictional worlds found in books, cartoons and movies because they help activate that same freedom; I crave stories because I am able to put things as they actually exist aside for a while. I want a place filled with fun characters, colorful settings, smiles, laughter and happy endings - idealistic traits from a dream-filled youth I want to share and never outgrow. Tale of Whale is a story created with these concepts in mind and the intent is to provide all who see it their own playful escape.

This body of work is the combination of the brightness and imagination developed as a child with the skills and discipline to manipulate glass honed as an adult. In its most malleable state, glass is a fluid material; its ability to capture the aquatic nature of my subject matter makes it unparalleled in this respect. The glass in this body of work utilizes a variety of techniques; blowing, sculpting and cold working can be found in each of the five pieces, with the addition of elements that have been flameworked or slumped. The pieces are presented in their own fantastical worlds through the use of backgrounds created from wood and paper meant to reference pop-up books and set the scene.

Drawing inspiration from the qualities of cartoons and children's literature, each piece in this body of work is an illustration in three dimensions that captures a moment during a day in the life of a whale living on land. The aim is for viewing audiences to see the humour in the anthropomorphic qualities that this cute, glass creature receives through his interactions with his surroundings. I hope the viewers leave this exhibition with an active imagination and themselves wondering “What other adventures might this whale get himself into?”