That Night in Osaka, 2009

That Night in Osaka is the culmination of an extended period of inward reflection. The sights, sounds, smells, and general sensory overload of a city like Osaka, made real the fact I am not Japanese. Yet the city itself has an allure, a night-time sirens’ song sensuousness thatbeckons. Being an outsider no longer bothered me. As the ever present language and cultural barriers faded into the background, I was able to move through the city anonymously--just an observer. But then again, in many ways glass is its own international language--a fact borrowed from my experiences teaching at Osaka University of Arts. I knew from previous visits all this would want to find its way into my work. I was firmly resistant to the often trite and overdone images of bamboo, dragonflies, and sake sets. Everything was filed away in a mental folder for later consideration. The emotions, excitement, and neon chaos were filed alongside the quiet solitude of the many small and ancient temples which dot Japan’s landscape--city, town, or countryside. The numerous temples offer the tranquility one needs for contemplation amidst the hectic high-rise world of Osaka.

This relationship is reversed in That Night in Osaka. The soft, muted, earthy tones replace the flashing lights of Shinsaibashi. Each individual piece invites the viewer into a relationship, a seductive conversation. “That night” evokes sensuality, a bit of mystery and intrigue, or perhaps a naughty indulgence. “That night” could be anywhere. Sensuous and sexy, the relationship of line and curve adds to an already exotic sensibility. Engaging the viewer into the studied chaos, patterns and relationships blur and change from one perspective to another giving the set an intrinsic life. The jazz-like quality of the conversation amongst the different pieces gives them a fluidity, the ability to change with light, mood, and circumstance. That Night in Osaka represents the workings through of many emotional issues, as one does when processing through life-changing experiences. Over time, that experience is relived from many different perspectives, forever renewing one’s own sense of self.