NANCY OTTO   

Statement    +    CV

Resides:  California

The sculpture I create examines infinitely smaller realities within a larger context, and the relationship between the two.

I like to see what is happening inside of a sculpture. This curiosity mirrors my interests in life. I am intrigued by what is happening inside a person, a family, an institution, or a system. The insides of my pieces are often manipulated to create deep impressions or subtle contrasts. My intention is to depict a voyeuristic window into an inner world of frozen reality.

From this microscopic internal view, I then zoom out to place the work in the context of relationships. How do the pieces relate to and interact with each other and to their environment? In what ways do they bend toward and move away from each other? Together, they form a vibrant community that is energized by those relationships.

For me, glass is an incredibly seductive and versatile medium to express ideas with.  I am particularly drawn to pushing the structural boundaries of glass – stretching it almost the point of cracking it, squashing it until it almost collapses.

I choose glass as a medium for sculpture because of the physical challenge of mastering its properties. The intensity of the heat, the weight of the work twirling at the end of a heavy pipe, and the dance to and from the bench is a performance in and of itself.