ABOUT THE ARTIST

Karen Gilbert is drawn to the intricate. Science and nature are her principal inspirations, and their analysis is her fascination. In an interview, she refers to a book she is keeping on her coffee table, Heaven and Earth. In it, images of nature’s minutia, cells for example, are presented alongside images of nebulae, galaxies ocean waves and the like. She finds the similarities shared by the micro and macro startling in their beauty and implications. Her observations of how multiple parts effect the whole very much inform her work.

ABOUT THE WORK

Gilbert’s work is an exploration of form, texture and movement. Her work is meticulously fabricated from oxidized silver and glass, materials whose qualities “counterbalance one another.” Some pieces are built within fabricated silver frames, her cuff bracelets and earrings are examples. Their rigid forms are mediated by an almost furry surface achieved with clusters of beaded strands. Other pieces are soft and draping. For example, fine silver rings of varying size, embellished with minute glass beads, are linked in multiples to form a dramatic, tactile lariat. All her work has a distinctly organic quality.

EDUCATION

1996 Pilchuk Glass School, Seattle, WA
1991-93 California College of the Arts, San Francisco, CA
90-90 University of San Francisco, San Francisco, CA

AWARDS

2003 American Craft Council, Award of Achievement, Baltimore ACC Show
1998 Artist Trust Washington State Art Fellowship

PUBLICATIONS

2004 “In Chains,” Lapidary Journal, March 2004
2004 Portfolio, American Craft, October/Novemeber
2003 Artist profile, Crart, Korean art publication