Reticello, blown glass by Peter Bowles. City of Hobart Art Prize

WTF?


There is a compelling absurdity about this series of work. Somewhat irreverently titled, WTF’s are at once a celebration and a resignation to Peter’s practice as a glass artist. Complex, provocative, indulgent and audacious – what’s not to love?


Surprisingly, a selected entry for the City of Hobart Art Prize, Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery.


Unsurprisingly, not a selected entry for the Tom Malone Prize, Art Gallery of Western Australia.


"Almost all my work starts with some odd, random experimentation – a period of research and exploration with no defined outcomes or intentions. It’s part of the enjoyment, part of the frustration and essentially it’s a critical part of the process. My natural inclination is to try to resolve and refine this experimentation – to contain it, to encapsulate it and rein it in.


WTFs are partly a reaction to this familiar way of working. They are a deliberate indulgence in staying out there in the mess and craziness of a creative process. There’s an energy about being out there that I find compelling and that I think finds its way through to the work.

It’s all part of getting to be comfortable with being uncomfortable again. I like to think of it as an expression of a mid-career crisis. A personal memo to myself to not take my career too seriously, and to keep an energy of curiosity and exploration at the heart of my practice."

PB

Reticello, blown glass by Peter Bowles. City of Hobart Art Prize
Reticello, blown glass by Peter Bowles. City of Hobart Art Prize
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