1030 - Sculpture “Suspende Artifact” by William Morris, 1993. Mold-blown glass with melted glass powder. Metal stand. 43 x 50.5 cm (with base). William Morris studied at California State University and Central Washington University. In 1978, he met Dale Chihuly at the Pilchuck Summer School in Seattle and became his glassblower. During this time, Morris experimented with surface texture, drawing techniques on glass, and shaping glass using wood-carved molds, which often gave his objects their unusual forms. In collaboration with his friend Jon Ombrek, they also developed drawing techniques on glass and executed them to perfection. Morris sought inspiration in nature, initially roaming the forests and mountains of his native California in search of artifacts from bygone eras, such as arrowheads and pottery shards. He has a deep interest in ancient civilizations, their primitive tools, and their rituals. He is himself a hunter who kills his prey with a bow and arrow. Among the many things that inspire him are Stonehenge, the cave paintings of Lascaux, and the landscape of the Orkney Islands. His glass works reflect this strong interest. Morris creates archaeological scenes in glass by assembling skulls, bones, antlers, weapons, and tools reminiscent of the cultures of the indigenous peoples of the Americas and Africa, the ancient Egyptians, and the ancient Greeks. His works make no claim to historical or anatomical accuracy. Rather, he is concerned with the mystical powers that human or animal remains radiate. Lit.: Mitchell Beazley, *Artists in Glass* 2001, p. 152 ff.