TIM STOVER
Artist Statement
Growing up tinkering in my father’s woodshop, I found a fascination with assembling and joining shapes together into new creations. Small scraps were readily available, many of which had beautiful curves and angles revealing linear patterns in the wood grain. As I grew older, the desire to create from parts continued to grow.
The “Studies” series is a culmination of a lifelong pursuit. I treat my glass much like wood. I look for linear patterns, and assemble the parts into an abstract shape. What drives me to use glass is the capability to use those patterns and shapes to create optical illusions inside the sculptures.
The intent of this body of work is to study the effects of contrasting colors, textures, and shapes. While approaching the sculptures, viewers begin to notice internal structures appearing and disappearing with each step. Sharp angles allow the transparent lines to merge and overlap - only to separate and become invisible. These illusions are created using a tedious process of assembling blocks with colored adhesives. Then, cutting the blocks into sections, the grain is revealed by the paper-thin lines of color. Alone, the patterns are amazing, but the shapes remain extremely geometric. Wedging the patterns between castings, I can create drastic color gradations melded within the translucent beauty of the glass.
Biography
Timothy Stover is a sculptor currently exploring the medium of glass. Born in Bucyrus, Ohio, he spent much of his younger years drawing and tinkering in his father’s woodshop. This independent exploration and art practice emboldened his creativity. In 2001, Stover pursued his love of art at the University of Toledo, graduating with a B.F.A. in Sculpture. There, he focused on bronze casting and metal fabrication. It was while in his fourth year that he met a local sculptor, Jack Schmidt. Schmidt hired Tim to work for him as a fabricator and spent the following five years as his assistant. It was only while working with Jack, that Stover discovered his passion for glass.
It was glass that led Tim to a position at the Toledo Museum of Art Glass Pavilion. During its first five inaugural years, he worked with numerous artists picking up techniques and tricks to further his passion. After years of working for other artists, in order to concentrate on his own art, he returned to academia.
Pursuing a concentration in glass, he received an M.F.A. from Kent State University. It was throughout this time that he began traveling and taking workshops around the United States. Stover received scholarships to study at the Pilchuck Glass School and the Corning Museum of Glass, both of which he later returned to as a teaching assistant. While at Pilchuck, he was introduced to a method of laminating glass that changed the way he approached his art. The tedious and time consuming process of gluing glass together, grinding, and polishing it into new shapes mixed well with the dedication and attention to detail inherent in his sculptural practices.
His work has been exhibited nationally in numerous group shows and invitationals. He has also shown in the Stanislav Libensky Awards Exhibition in Prague.
Tim’s recent solo show at the Toledo School for the Arts explored his desire to reassemble broken sections of glass into new work; thereby, giving life to fragments that most deemed irrelevant. Today he concentrates on using colored adhesives to achieve dazzling effects inside his sculptures. He currently lives and works in Toledo, Ohio. There, he teaches at the University of Toledo and serves as the casting instructor for the Toledo Museum of Art.