Written by: Tiisetso Tlelima
Distinguished Australian glass artist, Noel Hart, exhibits his extraordinary and colourful ‘Parrot Vases’ at the Edge Glass Gallery in the Mother City. Living most of his life amid reptiles, birds and insects in the sub-tropical rainforest on the east coast of Australia, it is no surprise that Noel’s work is heavily influenced by a shrinking biodiversity. His earlier works were colourful paintings depicting the colours of the fur of a rare Australian Marsupial Carnivore – the spotted tailed Quoll – which are increasingly becoming extinct.
Looking at his current work, it’s pretty clear that Noel is passionate about two things: making the world aware of the dwindling numbers of over 350 parrot species and exploring their breath-taking beauty. His parrot vases are vivid and flamboyant – inspired by the expansive array of colour sequences in parrots’ plumage. “I have looked at the range of colours in the ways that parrots see them - which unlike our own sight which is mostly in the infrared spectrum – is mostly in the ultraviolet spectrum,” he explains. “I also have an interest in the way the parrots’ colours are reproduced in magazines and books, and how they are often quite different to how they look to our eyes in our reality.”
He uses a technique based on the ancient Core Formed Technique to make the vases. But instead of using a core of mud, Noel uses a clear, thick and heavy blown glass bubble. The glass is blown into a hollow, flat and rectangular shape much like the format of his paintings. He then instructs a team of assistants to collect different glass colours which he applies to the outside of the bubble. The result is an intricate piece of artwork that art enthusiasts can collect or that can be used for interior decorating or as vases.
With such beautiful creations it’s hard to believe that Noel got into glass art by accident. Making a living as a conceptual artist is nearly impossible, so he had to do other things to earn a living. “I was curating exhibitions at a university near where I live when I was asked by a glass artist whose exhibition I had just put together, to come and work with him,” he recalls. “I like a challenge and his desire to broaden both the narrative and reach of his work gave me a good reason to take on the project.” Though he worked as a designer and had no particular interest in the medium of glass for his own work for a decade, he began gathering ideas about the material of glass and how to work it.
The idea to venture into glass art making finally came to him while attending a lecture on the subject of Egyptian Core Formed Glass: a primitive technique for producing hollow glass vessels prior to the invention of glassblowing over two thousand years ago. “I saw in this attraction of the primitive, which I’ve always been interested in, a way of painting with glass by a slight and simple modification of the technique,” explains Noel. “After a few experiments confirming that the idea was sound…I went for it.”
Renowned for his dazzling paintings, Noel always dreamt of becoming an artist as a young boy. His uncle exposed him to European contemporary art magazines at the age of 11 and he’s been hooked ever since. He started art school when he was 16 and had a Diploma in Fine Art by the time he was 20. However, despite his extensive art education he strongly believes that a formal art education can limit one’s creativity. “I don’t think a formal art education is terribly important,” he insists. “It tends to distort creativity towards conventional ways of expression that usually are connected to current trends. I tend to think an artist is born that way. Some of my favourite works of art have been created by people who wouldn’t realize that people are labelling their creations ‘art’.”
Currently Noel Hart has been exploring other forms with glass including fully flat wall-mounted panels that start off as blown glass vessels but are cut and slumped in a large kiln.
His parrot vases are on display at the Glass Edge Gallery until someone purchases them.
The Glass Edge Gallery opens from 10am to 5pm on Tuesday – Friday. For Monday and Saturday viewing please call 0828829080.
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