Steve Immerman

Kilnformed Glass

Although a native New Yorker, Steve

Immerman has lived in the Midwest for the

35 years, currently residing in Wisconsin. Immerman has been working in glass for

the last 25 years, but exclusively with kilnformed glass for over a decade.  Immerman uses glasswork as a respite from his more left brain and stressful career as a general surgeon and surgical oncologist.

He recognizes many parallels between kilnformed glass and surgery. “They each

involve technical skill and precise planning

in preparation for the portion of the process

where the elements are left alone to heal

(in the case of surgery) or fuse (with

kilnformed glass). Both processes require intense knowledge of what is expected to

happen, and neither allow much margin for error.

Both combine science and art.”

His journey in glass has included classes throughout the United States with recognized kinformed glass artists, as well as extensive personal study and experimentation. He has been a finalist in the ArtsWest Wisconsin

show on two occasions, and has been a

finalist in the Bullseye Glass Company’s

annual kilnformed glass competition in both 2002 and 2004.  His work has been featured

on the cover of Glass Craftsman Magazine in 2005 and again in 2006, and in that same

year he was nominated to be the

commissioned artist to supply original artwork for the Wisconsin Arts Foundation’s annual “Governor’s Award in Support of the Arts”.

His work has evolved to often include a design element called an “aperture pour”.
This is created in a kiln by melting glass in a crucible with a hole or “aperture” in the bottom which allows streams of glass to flow out of the container onto the kiln shelf. Immerman marvels at the many colorful patterns he is able to create in this manner. These swirly, chaotic, and colorful glass designs are then cut, shaped, polished, and used to enhance his compositions.

These compositions are made by assembling strips and sheets of glass into three dimensional assemblies  that are subsequently fused together in a kiln at temperatures around 1500F. The resulting glass panel is then ground, sandblasted, polished, and possibly placed back in the kiln for other firings.

Depending on the particular piece, the glass Immerman uses may be transparent or opalescent; textured or smooth; glossy or satiny. However the common theme is his use of geometric shapes, and, as one juror described his work, his ”...clean form and patterning.” He successfully juxtaposes wild, chaotic design elements with serene backgrounds and geometric regularity. Says Immerman, “When people look at my work I want them to be at the edge of recognizing something beyond the glass itself; I want the glass to draw them to a memory of an emotion or feeling at a subliminal level.” Immerman does this with repetitions of textures, patterns, colors and shapes, in the form of bowls, platters, wall hangings and display panels.

The glass Immerman uses may be transparent or opalescent; textured or smooth; glossy or satiny. However the common theme is juxtaposition of chaotic design elements with serene backgrounds and geometric regularity.

“When people look at my work I want them to be at the edge of recognizing something beyond the glass itself; I want the glass to draw from them a memory of an emotion or feeling at a subliminal level.”

Immerman does this with repetitions of textures, patterns, colors and shapes, in the form of bowls, platters, wall hangings and display panels.