Kevin Wallhead
Lincoln artist Kevin Wallhead has been creating his art for twenty one years.
“I use traditional drawing techniques to produce contemporary glass images. The human figure is what makes me tick and my work is forever evolving through continual experimentation and a natural development.”
Kevin in his workshop…
Solitude. (2002) Curved glass panel.
Glass, copper, Lincolnshire limestone.
If you were to ask Kevin what influences his work, he would most certainly not reel off a list of artists, neither past nor contemporary. He would say it was his immediate environment, his family, closest friends and even passing acquaintances, sometimes quiet conversations or a raucous night out, a day’s fishing or a glimpse through his telescope at a planet making an extraordinary appearance. Breaking news or an emotional event and often it is the acquisition of a new tool or material. An early interest in African art, but above all else, the figurative that is the human form.
It is all these things that drive Kevin to constantly experiment and develop his work.
For many years, Kevin isolated himself from any other artistic influences, striving to develop his own sense of self and style, feeling it imperative that he should not, even subconsciously, be prejudiced by others work.
This has stood him in good stead and he has gained much recognition as a glass artist, more than he ever imagined from when first returning to an art education to now, twenty two years on.
African Daisy. (2014). Wall mounted glass, glass frit panel.
Kevin’s early investigations into materials and areas of interest, his continual experimentation, taking an idea one stage further is a natural progression, sometimes returning to a familiar theme years after it first appeared.
By replacing paper with glass and pencil with copper wire it provides a refreshing alternative not normally associated with traditional drawing techniques.
A Memory Shared. (2015) Wall mounted glass panel on board. 74cm.sq. Glass, frit, copper, sterling silver, schlag, aluminium, steel.
Construction lines are a vital ingredient in preliminary drawing but are seldom seen as they are smothered by the finished composition.
His palette is simple…
Metal inclusions of copper, aluminium, steel, sterling silver and 24ct gold all perform with their own unpredictability in the kilning process.
Amelia & Me at Sam’s (2017)
Tonal Values I-VI. (2017) Glass, brass.
It is an important factor to Kevin that the viewer interprets his drawings with their own ideologies and can relate them to their personal experiences and relationships. Even the simplistic stick figures that can be drawn from childhood can arouse differing responses as to how they are perceived by individuals.
Blind Contour Relief. (2018) Mixed media
It’s all just gobbledygook. (2018)
Glass, copper, bronze, mixed media.
His imaginary space scapes, incorporating glass frit (granular glass) give the solar scene a sense of depth, texture and fluidity, exploring our relationship with this vast space we inhabit, ecologically, politically and socially.
In this current climate of ‘global warming’ and ‘global dimming’, we all need a reminder of the fragility of our own existence and the responsibilities we have for future generations.
Available pieces of Contemporary Glass…
Wall mounted glass panels, curved glass panels, glass sculpture and slumped glass bowls.
Windows, awards, figurative glass, space scapes, iceflows, games, giftware and centrepieces.
Commissions invited.
Tribus I -VI. (2020) Glass, copper, schlag, sterling silver, 24ct gold.
Kevin also exhibits and sells his work in Harding House Gallery, Steep Hill, Lincoln.
If you would like to find out more about Kevin’s work, how it developed, his influences and what makes him tick please visit his blog at http://figurativeglassartist.wordpress.com
Website: https://www.kevinwallhead.co.uk