All too often, artists who work with historical models or with “antiquing” techniques, such as faux-distressed finishes, veer into pastiche and inauthenticity. It is as if they become mesmerized by the content of their artwork, be it 1950’s kitsch or Greek classicism, and lose their authorial control. Peter Powning does not have that problem. Take a look at this vase. Here’s how Peter describes his work with his kilned-glass pieces. “My work is meant to have the feel of the artifact. An emotional artifact made solid. A cultural artifact from some future/past, reconstructed or guessed at. Some parts original, some new, others assumed.” What makes such work legitimate? The clear-headed purposefulness behind it all. He suggests that ideas that characterize might include, “falling apart, pulling myself together, the whole being greater than the sum of its parts, cultural fragmentation, the beauty of the spirit that has been tried and survived.” A lot of feeling goes into his work, and it is that emotional clarity that makes his worth both credible and incredible. You’ll find him on the 22nd floor.

–Dale

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