Brent Kee Young is an Asian American artist who is one of the top glass artists in the world. He teaches his craft as a professor in both the US and Asia. We will explore his accomplishments and look at one of his glass art called Tight Loop Comin c. 1998 which is a part of the permanent collection of the Smithsonian Museum of American Art.
A Few Facts About Brent Kee Young
Young was born in 1946 in Los Angeles and is part of the American Post-War and Contemporary art movements of the 20th century.
His incredible glass artwork has been shown in various prestigious galleries including the Columbus Museum of Art, the Canton Museum of Art, and the Smithsonian Museum of American Art.
He is a professor emeritus at the Cleveland Institute of Art and is considered to be one of the top 50 glass artists in the world.
He has presented various workshops at prestigious events such as the Niijima International Glass Art Festival in Tokyo, the International Glass Art Society Conference in Seto, Japan, at the University of Miami, and many more.
Young became the head of glass at Aichi University of Education in Japan for its first-ever glass program at a Japanese national university.
Tight Loop Comin
First you should focus your eyes on the fossil details within this artwork and then explore the other elements. These are archeological fossils from the North American region. The artists used the lampwork technique using a small torch to create depth within the artwork. By pushing these pieces of fossils into the colored glass, he built up a heavy layer of clear glass on top, making it seem like the skeletons have all but disappeared, leaving not much more than an imprint.
Young said of the piece, “What is important is not seemingly there…”