Alex Bernstein

Art Brokerage: Alex Bernstein American Glass Artist: As the child of two established glass artists, William and Katherine Bernstein (Billy is one of the founding members of the Glass Art Society), the beautiful surroundings of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Western North Carolina where they lived played almost as much of a part in his inspired upbringing as did the breadth of teachers around him. Alex studied psychology at the University of North Carolina in Asheville and worked at a children's psychiatric hospital before making the decision to purse his artistic endeavors full time. Alex Gabriel Bernstein is a glass caster, using subtractive sculpting techniques to uncover a unique shape from within a block of glass. He first starts by making nondescript blocks of glass in the kiln. Larger blocks may rest in the kiln for weeks at a time, a process called "annealing." Since these blocks are made by combining various types of "raw" materials, such as sheet glass, billets (larger, rectangular glass forms) and frit (pebble-like glass bits), the process needs to be quite careful and time-extensive. Once the form is cooled and uniform, he uses saws, chisels and grinders to create the shape of the sculpture. This is similar to techniques used by stone sculptors. Finishing techniques are also part of Alex's process, including sand-blasting, polishing and fusing steel to the surface of the sculpture. Each sculpture is completely unique and often times takes on a shape or design completely different from where Alex started with it. Listings wanted.