Bounded: explorations of line, shape, and taking up space in stained glass
Works of Holly Harris presented by Liberty Arts
In stained glass, compositions are composed of two primary elements: colored shapes and lead lines. Bounded explores the interaction between the two, questioning whether shapes define boundary lines or if boundaries define shape, and metaphorically what it means to take up space.
The exhibition centers on Linger and Rise, a series of betta fish rendered in glass. Bettas are creatures of beauty and volition: territorial, expressive, unapologetic about occupying their water. The series arose from Harris's need to claim and occupy her own space without apology. Collectively, the bettas, striking poses both sharp and sinuous, capture a facet of her journey in hundreds of individual pieces of mouth-blown glass.
Around and between the betta collection, the show ranges through experiments at the edges of the medium: glass paired with fiber, hand-etched surfaces, and wire-entwined sculptural ginkgo forms. These final pieces rise from a desire to create in glass without the necessity of shaping each piece into perfect harmony with its neighbor. By moving into three dimensions and removing adjacency, each leaf is allowed to be the shape that pleases the artist most without compromise.
All purchased works can be picked up immediately following the conclusion of the show, or at Holly's studio within Liberty Arts at 918 Pearl Street the week of June 29.
Price List
- Muchness $1350
- Reserve $325
- Claim $500
- Confidence $600
- Retreat $725
- Defiance $75
- Owe No One $75
- Enough $75
- Heed $75
- Stretched Hexadecahedron Terrarium $250
- Fiberfall at Sunset $100
- Ginkgo Circlet I $150
- Ginkgo Cascade II $150
- Sycamore Leaves I $200
- Blue Bird Circlet I Commissioned
- Autumn Leaves I On Loan
Statements
1. Muchness $1350
Date: 2026
Medium: Mouth-blown and machine-rolled glass; iridescent, opalescent, cathedral, reamy, streaky, and seedy glass; copper foil; lead solder; zinc frame; photo paper.
A rainbow of sinuously cut glass, this betta is unapologetically present. Surrounded by iridescent water glass, the subject makes eye contact with the viewer, fins fully flared and unafraid. Made as a capstone of the Linger and Rise series, Muchness embodies the work to embrace one's own identity, value, and vibrance.
2. Reserve $325
Date: 2025
Medium: Mouth-blown and machine-rolled glass, copper foil, lead solder
In cool hues of turquoise, plum, and olive, the delicate betta curves back upon itself in a quiet, self-protective pose, neither hidden nor fully exposed. Reserve honors the wisdom of keeping oneself as one guards a castle; it is an affirmation that privacy may be an act of self-care and a refutation that boundaries are lies of omission.
3. Claim $500
Date: 2025
Medium: Mouth-blown and machine-rolled glass, water glass, iridescent glass, copper foil, lead solder
The third in the series, Claim, was the first declaration of my timid desire to take up space, to take up my own space without fear, arrogance, or apology. The cool blues and teals present in the piece represent my mood at the time of fabrication: still grieving, timid, hopeful, and furtive. The betta, only mildly flared and facing the viewer directly, stands his metaphorical ground without challenging the viewer. He knows that his territory is his, and it is enough without the need to encroach on another's.
4. Confidence $600
Date: 2025
Medium: Mouth-blown and machine-rolled glass, iridescent glass, copper foil, lead solder, copper patina
Made concurrently with Claim, Confidence contrasts the former's cool hues with fiery reds, ambers, and pinks. Angled as if viewed from above with tail and dorsal fins fanning out above and behind, this betta represents the confidence to be oneself in full view of others. Technically challenging to construct, this original design pushed my abilities to cut glass precisely and further coax rigid glass into lithe and flowing shapes.
5. Retreat $725
Date: 2025
Medium: Mouth-blown and machine-rolled glass, copper foil, lead solder, black and copper patina; zinc frame
Retreat, as a verb, means to withdraw from difficulty or danger, and, as a noun, means a place of refuge or safety. This piece is intended to invoke both meanings. The subject, rendered in olive, chartreuse, and sienna, is swimming away from the viewer deeper into the frame, toward lighter waters. When facing fear because of real danger and transgressed boundaries, sometimes the wisest response is to retreat to a respite, regroup, and recuperate.
6. Defiance $75
Date: 2025
Medium: Mouth-blown and machine-rolled glass, copper foil, lead solder, cedar wood, chain
A glass affirmation paired with the first betta in this series, Buoyance, which is held in a private collection and could not be displayed today. The inscription "Existence is an act of defiance" refers to the struggle many face against depression and the genuine daily triumph of choosing to continue.
7. Owe No One $75
Date: 2025
Medium: Mouth-blown and machine-rolled glass, copper foil, lead solder, cedar frame, chain.
A glass affirmation paired with the intent and composition of Reserve.
8. Enough $75
Date: 2025
Medium: Mouth-blown and machine-rolled glass, pressed botanical ferns, copper foil, lead solder, copper patina, crepe myrtle frame, chain.
A glass affirmation paired with the intent and composition of Confidence.
9. Heed $75
Date: 2025
Medium: Mouth-blown and machine-rolled glass, copper foil, lead solder; crepe myrtle frame, wood-burned inscription
A glass affirmation paired with the intent and composition of Retreat. While fear should not dictate our actions, its presence can often signal real threats worth noting.
10. Stretched Hexadecahedron Terrarium $250
Medium: clear glass; copper foil; lead-free and leaded solders; copper wire, brass tube hinge.
I pulled the overall shape from an old vase I used at my wedding, and hand-etched the floral motifs into the individual panels. Not water tight. Leaded solder is only present along the very top seam of the hinge joint.
11. Fiberfall at Sunset $100
Medium: mouth-blown and machine-rolled glass; agate; copper plate; copper foil; lead solder; zinc frame; acrylic fiber, hand-dyed wool and silk, aida cloth.
A first experimental piece merging my two primary media: glass and fiber, inspired by the particulars of the striking sunset-colored piece of mouth-blown glass in the piece. While the glass brings a glorious glow to the piece, the fiber allows for a sense of movement and dimensionality disallowed by the rigidity of glass. While not as successful as I hoped, I have more experimental pieces planned to find ways to merge and intertwine my fiber and glass arts.
12. Ginkgo Circlet I $150
Medium: Machine-rolled glass; copper foil; copper wire; hoop; copper patina
As I have worked in stained glass, I have found myself growing tired and frustrated by the lack of relief, texture, and volume in the media. Further, I have found the method of composition, construction, and precise execution of design to be both deeply satisfying and rigidly constricting in the same moment. I decided to attempt to create repeating forms which were unbound by the negative space around them, and ginkgo leaves offer forgiving, organically creatable shapes. By placing them into their native branching structure on medium-temper wire, I achieved an almost sculptural form, allowing a sense of depth and overlap, while allowing for repositioning and new topography to emerge.
13. Ginkgo Cascade II $150
Medium: Machine-rolled cathedral glass; copper foil; copper wire; lead solder; zinc frame.
After working in this style, I wanted to explore how a rectangular frame changes the overall appearance of the ginkgo branch. The straight lines create a stable foundation which anchors and draws the eye into the organic, irregular, and twisting shapes of the ginkgo branch and leaves. Hand-etched vein lines enhance the overall impression of the leaf silhouette, even more visible when back-lit, and the single yellow leaf creates a warm focal point for the eye to rest.
As with each piece in this style, the frame and foreground interact to create a sense of negative space, while the subject spills out of the frame, defying its bounds with the insistence of growing things.
14. Sycamore Leaves I $200
Medium: Machine-rolled streaky, opalescent, iridescent glass with aventurine; copper foil; copper wire; lead solder; zinc frame.
In contrast to previously completed ginkgo pieces, this sycamore piece features opalescent glass and is the first of its kind to showcase a native tree. Many of the leaf silhouettes present in the piece were taken directly from leaves in my yard. Opalescent glass provides the viewer unique views depending on the lighting: back lighting shows acid greens and dark streaky reds which mimic the natural venation of sycamore leaves, while the piece glitters with aventurine and subtle iridescence when lit only from the front. The large leaves reach out of the frame, some almost edge-on to the viewer, in a life-like tableau of glass and copper, pushing not just past the edge of the frame but against the traditional boundaries of wall and window art into the room.
15. Blue Bird Circlet I Commission
Date: 2026
Medium: machine-rolled glass; agate; copper foil; lead solder; copper wire, various gauges.
This is a commissioned piece.
16. Autumn Leaves I Part of the Dan Reynolds Collection
Date: 2026
Medium: Antique mouth-blown glass and machine-rolled glass; copper foil; lead solder; zinc frame; black patina; walnut frame; acrylic diffuser; LED strips; plywood; metal findings.
A commission for my father based on a photograph of autumn leaves he took.