The Illusionist
For more than thirty years, artist Damian Priour has crafted beautiful sculptures made of limestone, metal, wood, bronze, and glass.
Dana Friis-Hansen says: Austin is lucky to have such a dedicated and creatie artist in our community, and it’s great that the Galveston Art Center is recognizing his talent. He’s also a team player--a year ago the Austin Museum of Art collaborated with Damian and nearly 90 artists who created variations on the idea of the chair for the exhibition, "Texas Chair Project." The catalogue, on sale in the AMOA store and by mail, documents the many innovative responses to Damian’s invitation to trade chair sculptures. (January 31st, 2010 at 4:49pm)
Born and raised along the Texas Gulf Coast, Damian Priour has a special affinity for water. And in his artwork, he uses glass to portray it. For more than thirty years, he has crafted beautiful sculptures made of limestone, metal, wood, bronze, and glass. Imagine water being trapped inside two pieces of glass, sometimes even dozens of pieces of glass. Priour either hand carves or sand blasts the glass, working to make it resemble water. Oftentimes by using different textures, shapes, and tricks, he creates the illusion that there is water inside the glass.
Fifty of Priour’s pieces were recently on display at the Umlauf Sculpture Garden and Museum, in Austin. And while a majority of them depicted the water in diverse shades, hues, and tones of blue, many proved quite colorful and lively (think green, periwinkle, emerald, orange, lavender, and red). Most impressive was the way the sun hit Priour’s sculptures, light bouncing and absorbing. There were quite large pieces, some even twenty feet high, and others that could fit in the palm of a small hand. “Childhood Dreams” was a horse made of 24 to 26 pieces of thin-yet-sturdy pieces of blue glass and tilted wooden sticks. Other notables included a nineteen-foot-high arched doorway, a dragon, giant spheres, shadow boxes, and thronelike chairs.
“Water sparks my imagination, my memories,” wrote Priour. “Water sparks my ability to go places that only exist in my imagination … Water sparks wonder at life. Water sparks curiosity about death. Water sparks.“ Priour’s work has been exhibited across the United States and in Canada, Japan, and Germany. Many of his pieces are in private collections, public spaces, and local churches throughout Texas, Arizona, Florida, and California. For more information, go to damianpriour.com.
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