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Joel Bloomberg is known for his lustrous glass of unique colors, hues, and tones which he uses to create his illuminated sculptures. Joel received his Associate of Arts degree in Chemistry and Glass from Palomar College prior to earning his Bachelors degree in Glass and Sculpture from California State University, Chico. He then traveled to Europe to visit glass factories in Sweden and Italy. Soon after Joel established his own studio in 1980. Joel has been awarded commissions for site specific glass sculptures for the City of West Hollywood, CA; the Great American Bank, San Diego; the Gesim Corporation, Calabasas, CA; and the Shiflet, Sharp and Waters Law Firm, San Diego. His work has seen much recognition having been shown in over 100 galleries and museums in the United States and Canada, including the Los Angeles Museum of Art; the White House; and the Downey Museum of Art. Joel¡¯s work has also been included in public and private collections throughout North America, Japan, France, and Germany. Joel Bloomberg creates unique illuminated sculptures by applying his artistic sensibilities to his knowledge of glassblowing and chemistry. In his series, Jellyfish Lamps, Joel combines the techniques of blowing, lamination and coldworking to create his one of a kinds lamps. ¡°Light plays an important part with all of my work, and especially in my illuminated sculptural lamps,¡± he explains. ¡°Colors and reflections can look very different depending on the time of day, direction of the light, or other factors affecting light.¡± To attain his unusual colors, Joel combines metallic oxides of copper, gold, silver, tin and cobalt into molten glass to which he adds specialty glass powders and frits. Joel considers his sculptures to be allegorical statements and explains that his ¡°object and direction are two-fold: 1) to create pieces that have a ¡®precious quality¡¯ to them whether they are small and simple or large and involved and 2) to create designs, ideas and techniques that expand the vocabulary of art glass and use the materials in new and unexpected ways.¡± |
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