Jo Ludwig

Opening Reception: Thursday, June 7 from 6pm - 8pm

Jo Ludwig uses art glass, in combination with dichroic glass, to make glittering little jewel-like bowls. Why bowls? Because the bowl-shape is intimately familiar, formally simple, aesthetically pleasing and, in miniature, completely non-threatening. Moreover, being concave, the bowl-shape focuses the light, which, in combination with dichroic glass, produces an eye-popping but disarming and utterly enchanting thing of beauty. Indeed, every one of these glittering little bowls Jo makes he calls a ToB, "Thing of Beauty". Since 1999 he has made over 1400 ToBs, yet no two are the same. They have evolved form technically simple but colourfully charming little bowls through playfully decorated vessels to technically sophisticated fine art objects.

On display at Circle Craft on Granville Island are nearly 100 signed and numbered ToBs, the most recent ones in the collection presenting Jo’s exploration of "lip wrap", the band of different colour encircling the mouth of the vessel. Examples of Jo’s trade-mark "back-lit" rims as well as examples of the popular classic ToBs are also on display. Referencing 19^th century Still Life painting are a few wall-mounted, internally lit and mirrored stainless steel "ToB Cases" each containing a matched set of 3 ToBs. "ToB Pods", referencing 17^th and 18^th century natural science "wunderkammer" collectables, are also on exhibit.