Red Crinkle Bowl

Object NameBowl

Artist / Maker Sonja Blomdahl (American, b. 1952)

Date1987

MediumBlown glass

Dimensions12 x 11 1/2 in. (30.5 x 29.2 cm)

ClassificationsDecorative Arts, Glass

Credit LinePurchased with funds from the Iowa State University Class of 1967 and the Brunnier Gallery and Museum Acquisition Fund. In the Permanent Collection, Brunnier Art Museum, University Museums, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa.

Object numberum87.335

Status

Not on view

Collections

Decorative Arts

CultureAmerican

Label TextSonja Blomdahl is a contemporary artist who uses glass as her means of expression. Born in Waltham, Massachusetts in 1952, Blomdahl received a B.F.A. from the Massachusetts College of Art. In 1976 she studied glass blowing at Orrefors Glass Skolan in Orrefors, Sweden. From 1978 to 1981 Blomdahl taught at the Pilchuck School in Stanwood, Washington. She taught at the Pratt Fine Arts Center in Seattle, Washington from 1980 to 1984. She currently owns and operates a private glass blowing studio in the Seattle area. Blomdahl says, "As an artist my focus has been with the vessel. In the vessel, I find the form to be of primary importance. It holds the space. In a sense, the vessel is a 'history of my breath': It contains the volume within. If I have done things correctly, the profile of the piece is a continuous curve, the shape is full, and the opening confident. Color is often the 'joy' in making a piece. I want the colors to glow and react with each other. For me there is still much to explore. The relationship between form, color, proportion, and process still intrigues me." Her works have been displayed in both national and international exhibitions since 1979 and are represented in major collections in the United States including the Corning Museum of Glass, New York; Museum of Contemporary Art & Design, New York; Museum of Fine Arts Boston; Renwick Gallery, National Museum of Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington D.C.; Spencer Museum of Art, University of Kansas, Lawrence; and the White House Collection of American Craft, Washington D.C.

Locations