Michael James Amis Works

Biography

Born in 1971 in Kent, England, Michael was drawn towards design at a young age. In 1989 he received his diploma in Product Design from the Kent Institute of Art and Design. After taking time out to travel through Europe, Israel and Northern Africa, he went on to Wolverhampton University where he discovered his affinity for glass blowing and love of the craft. The graduate program at Illinois State University brought Michael to the United States. In May 1998, he received his Master of Fine Arts degree. After graduation he designed and built a hotshop for Kokomo Opalescent Glass, where he worked as a studio director, designer, and gaffer until he opened his own studio in October 2007. He is currently in Bloomington, where he shares a building with 3 other artists who collectively exhibit their work in the Ramp-Arts gallery at the same location.
 

Artist’s Statement

There is so much of the world around us that we routinely shut off or filter out. I think it’s a self-defense mechanism to avoid overload or total confusion. We cannot be aware of everything all of the time and some things we are not even capable of being aware of at all. My work tries to capture the fleeting moments, the stuff that exists in the shadows of the mind as a mix of reality, insanity, humor, images of dreams and the kinds of things we see out of the corner of our eyes for a brief second.

Changing, moving and evolving. My favorite moment in the process of making work is just before a piece is finished. When making a sculpture I try to allow for the unexpected and to remain flexible in my interpretation of the work. I try to let the process of creation itself direct me.

I use traditional and non-traditional techniques to produce contemporary functional and sculptural hand blown glass pieces. Whether I am developing a new technical process or taking an old one in new directions I enjoy pushing myself as a glass blower and as a designer.