Illuminated Pages from the Book of Seconds

The series is inspired by The Book of Hours - manuscripts containing special prayers for each part of the day.

During the Middle Ages and the Renaissance these treasured books were given as gifts on special occasions, such as weddings, they appeared in medieval wills, testifying to their value and importance. A Book of Hours was often the first and only book an individual owned in his or her lifetime.

In working on my series I've been inspired by the unparallel beauty of the art in these books. (The fact that they are called “illuminated” manuscripts only naturally drew me to make the translation into glass.) Equally important to me has been the idea of registering, experiencing and celebrating every hour (or as my title suggests, even more dramatically, every fleeting second) as an attempt to deal with time-related questions and issues.

I also wanted to match the triumphant vibrancy of colors of the miniatures in the Books. Resilience of color over time is an inspiring task. Medieval artists grounded precious stones and diluted gold, so their paints could withstand the trial of centuries. In my case understanding of how gravity and viscosity work through the several days long firings does the job. There are no paints in my work. All the thinnest veils and transparent washes of color are created from opaque sheet glass through repeated firings in a kiln and manipulations in-between. It takes me about a month or sometimes more to have a page ready for viewing.

But just like in the original the colors won't fade.