“Crystal Poems” are a work of the glass artist John Brekke. They originated in a traditional furnace and were formed by hand using traditional tools as an homage to the classic art of glassblowing for which Brekke has a special affinity. The artist applied the script to the rings using a sandblaster so that the once clear material was transformed into this satiny, frosted surface. He used round forms as symbols of eternity. In selecting the words of his message, Brekke was inspired by his environment in Brooklyn. He simply wrote down what he heard – street noises, the voices of his neighbors or children’s voices. Thus, his “Crystal Poems” are also an homage to life itself.
John Brekke was born in 1955 in Chicago, Illinois. While still in school, he became interested in glass materials and the diversity of glass. Brekke first studied in the glassblowing class at the Chicago Art Institute and later earned his Bachelor of Science at the University of Wisconsin. He won numerous awards and scholarships, including an Artist Grant of the Pollock-Krasner Foundation in 2001, and was appointed Artist-in-Residence multiple times, most recently in 2011 by the Alberta College of Art and Design in Calgary, Canada. John Brekke’s works can be found in museum collections all over the world. He lives and works in New York City.
