craig mccullen:

lead sketches in light

a virtual reception will be held via our facebook and instagram pages on october 7th. Follow us at BRGallery for updates and images!

the in-person FIRST WEDNESDAY OPENING RECEPTION & artICULATE aRTIST tALK have been cancelled for this exhibition due to risks associated with the covid-19 pandemic. the gallery will be open during regular business hours (Tu - Su, 12pm - 6pm) for individuals or groups under 25 people. social distancing and masks are required.

Glass artist Craig McCullen creates work that is both imaginative and whimsical. He owns Whoojoo Glass Studio and Art Gallery in downtown Lafayette, Louisiana. McCullen has completed works for New Iberia Catholic High School and Our Mother of Mercy Catholic Church in Rayne, Louisiana. He has had opportunities to work and study with leading glass artist in from around the world. He has taught at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette and with the Acadiana Arts Council.

“It is often said, ‘To truly know about something, you must live, eat, and breathe with it first.’ For many things this statement is true, but not art glass. It can’t be tamed. It always surprises with something new. As an ongoing observer of the medium, I look forward to each new day seeing my art glass, to be entertained with its endless repertoire of treats.

I made 8 windows to display the spectrum of light. Seven honor light’s color spectrum and the clear one honors all light. The compositions are the playful thoughts for me when I think of each color. Red is for hearts, yellow for cats, violet- ambiguous, orange- fast, green- a tree, indigo- cold, blue- cathedral rose windows in stone tracery, copper tracery in my window. The little bird celebrates all light.

The windows are sculptures I make with glass, lead, copper, and brass. The many shapes in each window, I think of each one as a special jewel. Each piece comes from my life’s collection of the finest glass in the world. Light that shines thru them activates their jewel magic. My drawings are shapes studies too, inspired by a mosaic way of thinking when making glass. Negative background shapes are many times more important than the figurative shapes. In my drawings, the undefined shapes are most important because in them you fill the voids the way your mind sees best.” - McCullen.

This exhibition is presented alongside the latest works from April Hammock, & Jessica Sharpe. All works from these artists are on view, free of charge, during normal gallery hours (12 - 6 p.m., Tue - Sun) through October 29, 2020.