Opening in mid-July at Blue Rain Gallery, is the joint show of glass works by husband-and-wife artists Kelly O’Dell and Raven Skyriver. They both draw inspiration from the natural world— “reflecting the interconnectedness of species and ecosystems, and humanity’s place within them,” says Leah Garcia, the gallery's marketing director. Working in close proximity, the artists greatly influence each other, yet O’Dell’s focus is on themes of the past and the concept of permanence, while Skyriver is more concerned with the present—a moment in time.
Kelly O’Dell, Tidepool, blown and sculpted glass, 12½ x 14½ x 7"
“My work is always an exploration of the natural world,” Skyriver echoes. “I often revisit forms that I have made before, and try to present them in a different context or with a new color variation. My work is mostly based off marine life, and the fluid nature of glass lends itself to a dynamic feeling of motion and weightlessness that you see under water.”
Raven Skyriver, Abuela, free-hand sculpted glass, 6¼ x 7 x 11½"
Skyriver enjoys depicting native creatures that exist in the area he’s from, the San Juan Islands in the Salish Sea—a place of cultural significance for the Indigenous people of the Pacific Northwest. “I also enjoy celebrating the astounding biodiversity in nature and find it to be an endless source of inspiration,” the artist says. “[In the show], there will be some new takes on the usual cast of characters, and some completely fresh ideas I haven’t attempted before.”
This includes “characters” like the octopus in Retreat, and the turtle in Abuela from Skyriver’s newer, Southwestern collection. “The Southwestern United States has to be one of the most beautiful places on earth,” says Skyriver. “I love reptiles, creatures adapted to extremes, masters of conservation of energy and brilliant at camouflage—often overlooked…[Animals like] the turtle and lizard live their lives to a different tempo. Their survival is dependent on the waiting and calculated movement when needed, not always hurrying about like us humans.”
Raven Skyriver, Retreat, free-hand sculpted glass, 14 x 17 x 13"
O’Dell, originally from Kona, Hawai’i, portrays ocean and island inspired imagery. “All the work together seems to share a science-vibe, with geological and prehistoric references,” says O’Dell. “My work is usually steeped in the distant past, inspired by fossils, extinction and our limited time on earth. Recently, I’ve taken a turn into more geological influences, including strata layers and gemstones.”
In works like Tidepool and Aurora, we see examples from O’Dell’s Ammonite series. “Tidepool is a larger ammonite with some tendrils or ‘leaves’ flowing from the open lip, referencing the time it takes for ocean floors to become verdant mountains,” the artist notes. “Aurora is one of the first I’ve made in the transparent Ammonite series, where the colors really glow when backlit.”
Kelly O’Dell, Aurora, blown and sculpted glass, 9 x 8½ x 5"
O’Dell continues, “the ammonite, an intelligent coiled-up cephalopod, became extinct 65 million years ago, leaving impressions in its marine habitat to fossilize. They are considered ‘index fossils,’ which date the layer of geological earth in which they are found, giving us clues to the past…Today, we can hold this little time-teller in hand, and when looking closely, we can notice the great difference between us and an incredible likeness!”
To view more extraordinary glass works by Skyriver and O’Dell, visit Blue Rain Gallery in Santa Fe, New Mexico, from June 13 to 26. —
Blue Rain Gallery 544 S. Guadalupe Street, Santa Fe, NM 87501 • (505) 954-9902 www.blueraingallery.com
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