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Arch Series VINow working in Asheville, NC, Carl Powell has been a glass artist since 1974, and previously maintained studios in Austin, Denver and Berkeley. Carl studied art at Georgia Southwestern College and Georgia State University, and has taught at Colorado Mountain College and the Pilchuck Glass School.
He first became known for architectural panels that capitalized on his innovative approach to hand beveling of glass shapes, producing optical and geometric illusions. This work led to his participation in the traveling exhibition, ""Americans in Glass," and to a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. Newer works from Carl"s studio are intricate sculptures formed from clear glass that has been precisely cut, ground, polished, and assembled. Elaborating on methods used by Czech artists, he developed a new technique that allows internal engraved imagery in his multi-layered pieces to be seen after the final polishing. These pieces, some combining glass with metal or concrete, reflect his fascination with petroglyphs and ancient ruins. Carl"s recent Venus series "involves the conscious and subconscious complexities and surprises of love, whether in a human or universal sense. In several pieces, there are implied internal navigational aids, which are meant to symbolize man"s search for direction in matters of the heart."
