Alex Gabriel Bernstein’s sculptures are cast/carved glass or cast/cut glass with fused steel. The glass is cast in the shape desired, then carved (coldworking). At times, Bernstein uses a diamond saw to help with the carving process. If he decides to fuse steel to the glass he uses his own unique process. For example in "Blue Stone", the steel is fused to the blue glass. The blue glass itself has been carved; its edges appear rough and feathery. The other techniques used are casting, carving, and polishing the glass. An example of this is "Monocot". Bernstein casts the glass and carves it, just as in "Blue Stone"; however, during the process, he applies a sealant to give it a “satin” finish. Thus, when looking at "Monocot" a “glow” appears from within the piece, rather than if the glass had been highly polished glass and the light had penetrated it. Bernstein states, "The sculptures I make tell an individual story; speaking of growth, history, the passing of time. My work is very much about natural phenomenon. I learned a long time ago not to be so bold to try and re-create what you see in nature - Mother Nature is always going to do better; but I am very much inspired by natural phenomenon and the way the world changes and progresses." Alex Gabriel Bernstein grew up in a family of glass artists and was surrounded by other pioneers of the glass movement. He studied with Czech glass artist Frantisek Janak then went to Rochester Institute of Technology where he earned his MFA in 2001. His sculptures have earned him many awards and honors and are in numerous collections. Bernstein has taught at the Penland School of Crafts (Penland, NC), the Cleveland Institute of Art (Cleveland, OH), The Corning Museum of Glass (Corning, NY), The Worcester Center for Crafts (Worcester, MA), and Pilchuck Glass School (Seattle, WA), In 2007, he moved his studio to North Carolina.
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