Nancy Otto

Artist Statement:

The sculpture I create examines infinitely smaller realities within a larger context, and the relationship between the two.

I like to see what is happening inside of a sculpture. This curiosity mirrors my interests in life. I am intrigued by what is happening inside a person, a family, an institution, or a system. The insides of my pieces are often manipulated to create deep impressions or subtle contrasts. My intention is to depict a voyeuristic window into an inner world of frozen reality.

From this microscopic internal view, I then zoom out to place the work in the context of relationships. How do the pieces relate to and interact with each other and to their environment? In what ways do they bend toward and move away from each other? Together, they form a vibrant community that is energized by those relationships.

For me, glass is an incredibly seductive and versatile medium to express ideas with.  I am particularly drawn to pushing the structural boundaries of glass – stretching it almost to the point of cracking it, squashing it until it almost collapses.

I feel these structural tensions add a subtle precariousness within each piece.  And when in community with each other, these pieces speak to the power in numbers and the fragility of relationships.

Nancy Otto is a sculptor working primarily in glass.

She has exhibited nationally in New York at The Judson Church and E3 Galleries, Chicago at Woman Made Gallery, Pittsburgh at the Morgan Contemporary Glass Gallery, and at the San Francisco International Airport Museum and Micaela Gallery.

Nancy studied at Pilchuck Glass School with Karen Willenbrink, The Studio at Corning with Martin Rosol and Jiri Harcuba, and Haystack Mountain School of Crafts with Nancy Callan and Katherine Gray.

Her work has been featured in Elle Magazine, California Home and Design Magazine, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, Curve Magazine, the Best of America Glass Artists and Artisans, and the San Francisco Chronicle Magazine.