Historically, moon imagery is a powerful symbol of regeneration, but on a personal level, this series is an homage to my father, Richard Odell, who died a few years ago. In his professional capacity, he designed radios that served on the Apollo 11 mission to the moon. He was proud of his work: I remember playing with the Silver Snoopy astronaut pin he received from NASA as commendation for his service. Amongst the layers of glass, I have incorporated some of his ashes into these fused glass compositions. Much like the waxing and waning of the moon, our bodies, born of the earth, are eventually returned to it, in order to replenish and sustain future generations.
These pieces are created by layering cut sheet glass with powdered glass, broken pieces of glass (called frit), small slivers of glass, silver foil, and vitreous enamels. Much like the way a painter layers thin veneers of paint, I see this process as a kind of three-dimensional painting. The panels and moons have been transformed through three or four separate firings, up to 1450°. After the last firing of the moons, the back edge is ground and polished, and I glue on neodymium magnets that hold the glass to the steel plate.
