Jason Christian and Dan Friday, Owl on Crescent, glass.

Communication, as in all partnerships, is key. “Davide and I spoke different languages, but we both speak the language of glass,” says Muzylowski Allen. “By working together with our teams we quickly saw how we needed to adapt our working flow and style in order to create successful pieces…It is very exciting to see how an artist whom you respect visualizes and handles an idea. It can be a deep learning experience. The artwork created is completely unique with a new shared voice.”

David Patchen and James Devereux, Rainbow Reef Clovis, hot-sculpted glass; murrine, hot-chipped, 39 x 8 x 5½" 

Christian and Friday have been working in the same Seattle studio since the beginning of their careers so collaborating came naturally. Both have deep roots in the Pacific Northwest and aim to create beautiful pieces that are symbolic of the region’s heritage and lifestyle. “We are both interchangeable as technical makers go,” says Christian. “The biggest thing we bring is the ability to forfeit our egos in the process of making our vision a reality.”

Top: David Patchen, Piscine, blown glass; murine, zanfirico cane, 21 x 7 x 2". Bottom: Altamira Fine Art, Magnetic, glass and steel, 18 x 36 x 8", by Stephanie Revennaugh. Shelley Muzylowski Allen and Davide Salvadore, Pavone (Peacock), 2012, blown, hand sculpted and incised glass, mixed media and steel, 19¾ x 12 x 16". Photo: KP Studios.

For the pieces Patchen creates on his own, the inspiration is manifold. “[It] can come from work I made the prior week, a flower, a mineral and gemstone exhibit in a museum or a sweater I see while shopping, or just what color I feel like playing with that day.” Patchen often teams up with fellow glassblower and sculptor James Devereux, each bringing their own areas of expertise to the project at hand.

Clockwise from top left: David Patchen, Ellipse, blown glass; murine zanfirico cane, 19 x 15 x 4". Altamira Fine Art, Messenger (small), ed. 19 of 50, 77 x 11 x 9", by Kevin Box. Altamira Fine Art, You are on my Foot, bronze, ed. 4 of 21, 14 x 34 x 8", by Greg Woodard. 

For Devereux, "The biggest reward has been building a great working relationship and friendship with David. The collaboration works have given us the chance to work on some interesting commissions and projects together as well as a great excuse to visit each other."

Top: National Sculpture Society, Reverie and Abundance, bronze on steel base, 20 x 18 x 13", by Alicia Ponzio.  Bottom: Blue Rain Gallery, Light Gold Triptych, cast and cut glass, 19 x 14¼ x 5", by Alex Bernstein; Victor Issa, Fit for Eternity, life-size clay for bronze. Commissioned by Southern Adventist University, Collegedale, TN.

“At Altamira Fine Art, we are drawn to sculpture for its ability to bridge the tangible and the transcendent, inviting viewers to move around, pause and engage with form in space,” says gallery director Kimberly Duncan. Many of the gallery’s sculptors work in bronze, glass or mixed media and draw from the rich visual language of the American West while reimagining its traditions through contemporary lenses. “These works often embody tension and balance between nature and civilization, motion and stillness, legacy and reinvention,” continues Duncan. “What inspires us most is how these pieces don’t just represent the West—they live in it. The shadows they cast shift with the day; their textures echo the landscapes from which they’re born. Whether monumental or intimate in scale, sculpture challenges the viewer to experience art in three dimensions, both physically and emotionally.” 

Felicia, Two of Us, bronze, 10 x 4 x 3" 

National Sculpture Society, The Bather, bronze, 51 x 30 x 37", by Gwen Marcus.  Victor Issa, Margaret, life-size bronze. Private memorial commission to be installed in a dedicated park in Jackson, MS. 

Among Blue Rain Gallery’s talented roster of artists is sculptor Alex Bernstein, whose practice lies at the intersection of formal innovation and material exploration. “Drawing upon both natural and architectural influences, Bernstein engages with glass and mixed media to investigate concepts of tension, transition and transformation,” says gallery manager Leah Garcia. “His work references geological and crystalline formations while simultaneously evoking the precision of industrial design. Through a process that includes casting, carving and cold-working, Bernstein manipulates glass to reveal layered internal structures—an embodiment of both physical and psychological depth. His sculptures function as meditations on the passage of time, environmental forces and the internal landscapes of human experience. The interplay of transparency and opacity within each form speaks to a dialectic between revelation and concealment. By invoking elemental processes—cooling, cracking, sedimentation—Bernstein not only reimagines the natural world but invites viewers into a contemplative engagement with materiality, memory and light. His work challenges conventional boundaries between fragility and permanence, structure and spontaneity, nature and artifice.”

National Sculpture Society, The Horse That Knows, bronze, 24k gold leaf, patina, 14 x 10 x 7", by Simon Kogan.

With her innovative patinas, along with a touch of high polish accents, Felicia’s bronze figurative forms evoke protection, movement, stillness, unity and timeless elegance. Her inspiration has always been to echo the figure. Felicia has been working in bronze for 40 years, and her work ranges from the miniature to monumental bronze sculptures. You will find her work at Rogoway Gallery in Tubac, Arizona, and in many private collections, public gardens and museums.

Blue Rain Gallery, Blue Crystals, cast and cut glass and fused steel, 19½ x 14 x 6", by Alex Bernstein; Blue Rain Gallery, Blue Flow Circle, cast and carved glass and fused steel, 18 x 18 x 3", by Alex Bernstein.  

The National Sculpture Society (NSS) is a non-profit organization that encourages excellence in sculpture inspired by the natural world. The purpose of the NSS is to promote sculpture, to which end its programs are directed. Exhibitions, Sculpture Quarterlymagazine, an annual sculpture conference, awards, grants and scholarships for sculptors are all part of these programs. Members of NSS create, collect, interpret, exhibit and support the evolving practice of American sculpture. Elected sculptor members are represented in museums, corporations and private collections around the world. Sculptor member pages on the NSS website link directly to each sculptor’s website, easily enabling collectors to connect with some of the best figurative and realist sculptors in this country. 

Victor Issa, Sports Buddies, life-size bronze. Available in three sizes.

“When I realized that I was born to sculpt in the mid ’80s, my focus was on the human form,” shares Victor Issa. “No other form has the capacity to embody such a rich range of concepts, emotions, beauty and inspiration. My sculpture professor insisted that if we are to copy the form, we would need to learn to see. There are so many nuanced surfaces on the human figure, and they are ever fluid,” he continues. “A hand can have endless variations as it flexes, grips, gestures and just relaxes. The muscles change shape, the blood vessels can become more pronounced or disappear, creases become deeper or more open, and so on. I find this pursuit of truth and beauty a continuous challenge and inspiration.” —