cast lead crystal glass
10" x 24" x 14"

San Diego native Susan Silver Brown has been living in the desert in southwest Arizona for 25 years. She began her career at UCLA as an art historian, studying ancient African & Oceanic art. Brown has always been interested in mythology, anthropology, and why art is so essential in society. After studying artisans and shamans who create art for the sole purpose of healing individuals through visual transcendence and non-verbal communication, Brown quickly incorporated her philosophical studies into art. Her transformation into that world, which had been germinating within her since childhood, gave her a sense of honesty and freedom to explore and heal her own soul, allowing her to contribute the same back to society. Her autobiographical work was born out of mystical feelings of origin.

In between working as an art historian and a sculptor, Brown was then considered an established and celebrated wearable art sculptor. In that 15-year career span, she created very personal jewelry that was both philosophically poetic, as well as absurdly lyrical. These small sculptures were talismanic, sensually organic, and often included poetic text. That work grew into the sometimes provocative sculpture that she has been creating for the past ten years. Brown attended Pilchuck, Corning, and Penland along with other glass schools, while also studying with master craftsman, all of which helped her to make the transition to the medium with which she was born to create.

An avid and passionate traveler to all parts of the world, Brown’s mystical experiences gave birth to her sculptural archetypal figures that reflect the mysteries of life in both a subconscious and abstract manner. Sacred images from Lascaux, pristine environments in Antarctica -- with their primal ice formations and stillness, and plant and animal material from Africa, have all been stimuli that find their way into her glass and bronze castings.

Her powerful work is a response to this magic that she has encountered. Glass is the perfect medium for this type of philosophical thought. The viewer is able to see the breath of bubbles within due to the translucent nature of the material, allowing the experience of a fourth dimension. Through it’s spirituality and physicality the glass becomes charged with life.