Peter Mangan, Texas Sculpture Group
From Blanco, Texas
Artist Statement:
The creation of artwork is an ongoing process. It has allowed me to venture into areas such as: natural and recycled materials, representation, abstraction, functionality, and symbolism. I work to find and develop an original voice. My primary media are glass and metals. Creating art is an ongoing process that invigorates and sustains my life. My experiences have broadened with age, travel, and learning. As a result, I have found myself increasingly involved in gallery shows, commissions and public art projects.
For the last 33 years I have been a self-employed artist. My artwork has been shown and collected in the U.S.A., Europe and Japan. When I look back on pivotal experiences, certain events come to mind such as: my apprenticeship at Bullseye Glass Company in Portland, OR, 1983; being a Visiting Artist at the New York Experimental Glass Center, 1988; and traveling around the world in 1996.
Artist Biography:
I got a lucky break and worked at John Kebrle Glass Studio in Dallas for a summer, while attending college at UT Austin. After graduating with a Fine Art degree from UT, I moved from Texas to California to pursue a career in visual art.
Fused glass appealed to me because it seemed new, even though it actually pre-dates glassblowing. Bullseye Glass Co. in Oregon was just starting to promote it. I applied for and got an apprenticeship at the Bullseye Fusing Ranch in the early 1980's. I still use the knowledge from that period in my artwork.
While in graduate school at San Jose State University, I was able to add welding and metalworking to my creative skills. This allowed an increase in scale and gave me the ability to create large outdoor sculptures.
I lived and worked as an artist in the Bay Area for 35 years. For 16 of those years, I split my time between San Francisco and Texas. Since 2014 my wife, Karen, and I are happy to be full-time Texans again…in the beautiful Hill Country town of Blanco.