Elodie holmes
¡Colores! on PBS
Using an ancient Italian color recipe, Santa Fe glass artist Elodie Holmes creates vivid, colorful sculpture. “I often refer to it as not only the making of glass, but to see the final product as the art of astonishment - because it’s like, wow, did I really make that happen?!”
Elodie Holmes is the owner and head artist at Liquid Light Glass. She founded the company in 1986 and went on to establish the Baca Street Arts District in 2000. Since then she has focused on providing opportunities to local artists, internships for local high school students, and classes for the public.
In addition to supporting the arts community, Holmes is an internationally acclaimed artist. In 2016 she received the New Mexico Governor’s Award of Excellence in the Arts in recognition of her achievements. Her work has appeared in galleries, permanent collections, museums, and private collections around the world.
Aurora Series
Holmes has spent the last twenty years of her career perfecting her heat-sensitive Aurora color. This variation of Italian Chalcedony glass transforms the earthy tones of the original formula into a rainbow of vivid shades. The beautiful streaks of magenta, red, green and blue inspired her to name her color after the Aurora Borealis, which form beautiful arcs of color across the northern sky. The vibrant colors are based on matching the precise chemical formula with a careful method of heating and cooling the glass. Colors in the glass fan out across the surface as each piece is spun out, elongating and stretching on the blowpipe. There is a finite window of time for Holmes to sculpt each piece before the hues of color peak and diminish. Once the glass cools it reflects a perpetual sense of movement in the flowing curvature of each edge and in the sweeping strokes of the color.
Every Aurora sculpture sits on a hand forged metal stand that is customized to fit the individual contours of each piece, most often made with a swiveling option for turning the piece around.
Fractured Time Series
In my newest Fractured Time series, I abruptly sever the sense of flow created through these abstract sculptures. I became aware that my sense of time was shifting, slowing down, and changing daily; a feeling that I believe was shared by many around the world. My spiraling forms represent the flow of time with a central opening that is severed and off-set, much as I felt my perception was during a period of prolonged isolation during the pandemic.
Bee Series
As an avid bee keeper and gardener, Holmes based this series on the life of bees and their role in sustaining the environment. The bees work together drawing nectar from flowers to produce what they need to survive. In the process they pollinate plants and promote the survival of crops and wild flowers. Anthropomorphizing the bees and capturing them at work in the hive is meant to encourage viewers to consider three things. One, the human impact on bees through getting inside the workings of the hive. Two, the essential role bees play in the environment. Three, to show that like the delicate flowers the bees tend, their own survival rests on a fragile balance. Holmes wants the viewer to assess their role in maintaining this balance to protect each other, the vulnerable, and the environment.
Guardian Series
Elodie Holmes and Enrico Embroli Collaboration in bronze and glass
Through the timeless nature of glass and bronze materials, Holmes and Embroli create sculptures that blur the line between modern art and ancient artifact. The artists skillfully and creatively interpret iconic symbols of humanity, expressing the precarious relationship between us and nature. The intent of each piece is to express the spirit of old-world cultures and their relationships with the planet and humankind. The GUARDIANS visually reflect this deeply-rooted connection, with an intent to inspire the viewer to be cognizant of the immense responsibility we have as humans to protect each other, the vulnerable, and our beloved mother earth.
Vortex Series
The spiraling forms represent the flow of time (which are nicknamed TimeLines), and the vessel is loosely reminiscent of a sea form. This abstract sculptural series hearkens back to the sea and the triton shells Holmes used to collect on the sandy shores of Maryland. A spiral twist wraps around the outside of each vessel like a tentacle. Each piece is completely unique in shape and color, like a shell no two are the same.
Brooding Bird Series
A brooding bird period typically begins when the first egg is laid and lasts until the chicks are fledged. My Brooding Bird series exaggerates this natural cycle of life by juxtaposing a small, but determined bird on a huge egg of responsibility. Life is fragile, eggs are fragile, and I find that glass is the perfect material for this series.
Vessels, Platters, Paperweights
Consisting of various different styles and subjects in ongoing work, Elodie also creates platters, colorful designer eggs, bowls, paperweights, tumblers and more!