Adelaide-based artist Tom Moore has been awarded the 2013 Ranamok Glass Prize for his whimsical glass character sculpture “Massive Microscopic Bud.”  Awarded annually, the $15,000 Ranamok Glass Prize recognises creativity, skill, and innovation in contemporary glass from Australia and New Zealand.

“Massive Microscopic Bud” is the largest character that Moore has ever made and is a testament to his skill and creative vision. Constructed of blown and solid glass, Moore’s intricate creation combines a number of themes that have engaged his creative practice from the beginning. “I like to invent new creatures combining plans, animals, and machines, imagining that everything is alive and curious,” Moore explains.

At the centre of “Massive Microscopic Bud” is one of Moore’s signature hybrid creatures standing on top of a glass car. Part plant and part animal, the whimsical mutant monster is encapsulated by a clear glass human-like head, on top of which sits another crazy creature that at first glance appears to be part squid and part zucchini.

According to the judges, “Moore’s artistic brilliance enables him to confidently express his unique, quirky artistic vision. This new work – which is impressive in scale – caught the imagination of the judges through its witty, layered narratives and references to museums and collecting. It provides a view into the artist’s mind in which, in his own words he says, ‘everything is alive and curious.’”

photo au.blouinartinfo.com

The Ranamok Glass Prize is an annual acquisitive award for glass artists who are resident in Australia and New Zealand. The Prize was founded in 1994 by Andy Plummer and Maureen Cahill as a way to promote glass as an art form to the public. The work presented for consideration for the Ranamok Glass Prize is expected to be a major effort in the artist’s personal body of work.

Christine Cathie  - O-Void

Challenging the boundaries of casting and allowing the inherent beauty of the glass to shine – furthering my exploration of the O-void by using a tall twisted triangular sweep and working from thick to thin, matt to shiny and weight to lightness.

photo ranamok.com

Maureen Williams – When 

My work uses personal narrative to express an altered view. The painting reflects my abstract notion of reality as imagery and is concerned with the juxtaposition of nature and Man’s imposition on nature and the relationship between Man and the land.

photo ranamok.com

Kayo Yokoyama – A Place Called Home

Framing my memories from the past is the key to my inspiration. My memories are the key to self, where I have been, where I am going and where I am. Just like placing keepsakes in the special box, I place a home in the frame.

photo ranamok.com

Kim Logue – Palingenesis

Here I define the very essence of palingenesis, creating a modern work by casting and re-fusing the oldest form of glass – obsidian. I pay homage to the obsidian toolmakers who lived 13,000 years ago on the Greek island of Milos.

photo ranamok.com

via au.blouinartinfo.com, ranamok.com