Emily Selvin
Janus as A Female
2024
cast glass
7 x 5 x 4"
1 of 2

Artist Statement:
Embracing Femininity: A Perspective on the Timeless Figure of Janus in Glass Art.
This cast glass sculpture delves into how the ancient Roman deity Janus symbolizes the dual aspects of the female experience. Janus is historically depicted with two male faces looking in opposite directions, which serves as a metaphor for the complexities women often face, such as balancing strength and tenderness, independence and community, past and future.
This ancient method of lost wax casting allows for a remarkable level of detail and texture-perfect for articulating the nuances of feminine identity. Carving the wax, casting the glass, and unveiling the finished piece serve as a metaphor for the passage of time and the transformation of self.
Approximately 30 hours are spent carving the wax for this sculpture, followed by four days of firing in the kiln and about 6 hours of cleaning the glass after it comes out of the kiln.

Artist Bio:
Emily Selvin has devoted her life to the arts. She studied Geo-Textile Engineering and Textile Design at the Philadelphia College of Textiles and Science. Following her studies in the sciences, she continued her education at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, studying printmaking and classical painting, and completed prize-winning explorations of mixed media. Since 1997, Emily has operated Selvin Glass, a full-service leaded glass restoration and commission-based architectural glass studio. Designers and architects have sought her work and restoration services internationally. Her sculptural work focuses on nature vs. nurture, using objects she finds in nature and combining them with toys often played with by children. Emily uses glass to illustrate the fragility of life, the often deleterious impacts of adult humans towards our ecosystems, and the memories of the innocence of youth. Her illustrative works focus on the life cycle, specifically how we face death and global gender issues and how they impact all women. In her spare time, Emily makes puppets and marionettes, shoots street photography, and embroiders from her photographic imagery using the finest silk threads she can find.

InLiquid, selvinglass.com
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