Ray Howlett: Sculptural Portals of Reflecting Light & Space

Images © Copyright 2002 by Not Just Mud!
"Rainbow Rain" Lt'd Edition No. 9 of 20, $3,900.
	Detail from sculpture at left.
24" h. x 8½" x 7¼" Incorporating Dichroic glass, float glass, stainless steel, silicone glue, a compact fluorescent light and aluminum oxide blasting. This sculpture contains a fluorescent light and requires AC power. The power cord is hidden in these images.

Please forgive the unintented exerior reflections in these images.

Howlett sculptures are like portals... an opening into a new kind of space. Whatever one can see inside the sculpture is more important that the sculptural surface and shape. The space inside this transparent sculpture looks to be larger than the outside 3 dimensional measurements. The space inside the sculpture has been optically expanded beyond 3 dimensions. Looking into the sculpture is like liking through a window into a 4th dimension.

Please note... these sculptures do not move. The images above are to simulate what you will see as you view the sculpture while moving! Any viewer movement will create a kinetic essence in color shifts and graphic design shifts within the sculpture. The animated presentation approximates this.

Artist Info: the finest collection of contemporary art glass is online at njmgallery.com

Ray Howlett became devoted to "dichroism", the newest kind of color, in 1978 at his studio in Malibu, California. Dichroic color is not a pigment or a dye, It is the interference of wavelengths of light (color) passing through ultra thin layers of certain minerals that are vaporized and applied, usually onto glass, in a vacuum chamber. The result is a transparent yet highly reflective colored surface. The specific color is determined by the thickness of each layer of each mineral. "Dichroism" means a two color system: One color transmits through, while the complementary color reflects back off the surface. Dichroic trademark: Each color shifts over to a slightly different color as the viewing angle changes.

Howlett uses only material developed within his lifetime.

Development:
1940	Born and educated in Lincoln, Nebraska
1963	Bachelor of Fine Arts degree, University of Nebraska
1965	Moved to Los Angeles; influenced by the clean, bright California art.
1973	Created the first reflecting light and space sculpture.
1995	Moved back to Lincoln; the style softened with more curved images.
-2003	created more than 1000 sculptures participated in more than 100 national exhibitions made 130 personal presentations to art museums
Museum permanent collections:
2002	West Valley Art Museum, Surprise, AZ
2002	Midwest Museum Museum of American Art, Elkhart, IN
2000	Museum of Neon Art, Los Angeles, CA
1999	Springfield Art Museum, Springfield, MO
1999	The Kaleidoscope Museum, Sendai-City, Japan
1999	Midland Center for the Arts, Midland, MI
1998	The Grace Museum, Abilene, TX
1998	Gardiner Art Gallery, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK
1996	Lakeview Museum of Arts and Sciences, Peoria, IL
1994	Louisiana Art and Science Center, Baton Rouge, LA
1989	Science and Technology Center, Aurora, IL
1989	Museum of Science, Boston, MA
1987	Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History, Los Angeles, CA
1987	Frederick R. Weisman Art Foundation, Los Angeles, CA

Entire contents © Copyright NJM Gallery, Portsmouth NH (603) 433-4120.

If you like the work on this page, we think you'll also enjoy these artists:

Toland Sand, Michael O'Keefe.

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