Hand-Blown Glass Swells Around Steel Armature in Katie Stout’s Bubbly Lamps
“Cotton Candy Venus” (2024), glass and steel, 22.5 x 11 x 10.5 inches. All images courtesy of the artist and Nina Johnson, Miami, shared with permission
Artist Katie Stout blurs the line between utilitarian objects and sculptures, creating chandeliers, chairs, tables, and other functional designs bearing her signature ornamental aesthetic. Using a wide range of materials like ceramic, bronze, glass, and steel, she continually challenges gendered traditions and craft techniques through her playful, expressive works that question the nature of allure and value.
In a recent series of shapely pendant lamps, Stout takes the vessel as a starting point, an origin arising from the artist’s experience of becoming a mother. The hand-blown glass forms bubble and swell within a welded steel armature that takes the shape of a lobster, ear of corn, and prehistoric Venus statute with round, exaggerated features.
Lights embedded inside illuminate the lustrous, candy-colored glass, emanating a soft glow from within the hard, protective shells. Referencing symbols of fertility, sustenance, and growth, the pendants hearken back to this profound period of personal transformation and the social and cultural connotations associated with motherhood.
Stout frequently shows with Nina Johnson in Miami, where she’s represented, and you can follow her work on Instagram. You also might enjoy these balloon interpretations of Venus by Reddish Studio.
“Lobster” (2024), glass and steel, 21 x 9 x 5.75 inches
Detail of “Lobster” (2024), glass and steel, 21 x 9 x 5.75 inches
“Baby of the Town” (2024), glass and steel, 19.5 x 11 x 7.5 inches
Detail of “Cotton Candy Venus” (2024), glass and steel, 22.5 x 11 x 10.5 inches
“Venus of the Corn” (2024), glass and steel, 18 x 7 x 7 inches
“Flower Ball” (2024), glass and steel, 10 x 11 x 12 inches
“Glass Frank 2” (2023), glass and steel, 17 x 14 x 11 inches
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