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Writer's pictureMonmouth Arts

Storytelling in Glass: Sharp, Reflective, and Bold

By Connie Isbell

Sarah Fishbein is the fourth artist to showcase their artwork this year at ArtSpace, Monmouth Arts' community event space and gallery in Red Bank. Her exhibit, "Perfect Brokenness," will be on display until Sunday, December 1st. Through this collection of painstakingly created large-scale glass mosaics, Sarah sheds light on the complexity and resilience of women, celebrating both their struggles and triumphs. In this Artzine we're pleased to feature "All the Little Pieces," a recently released film by Chuck Fishbein of her at work.

Sarah Fishbein's artistic journey began with traditional forms of photography and video production, but in recent years her craft has undergone an evolution. Sarah found her voice in the realm of Pop Art Mosaics, blending her respect for pop art with the romance comics and characters of the 1950s and 60s, creating a vibrant, modern, pop culture in glass. "I fell in love with the colors, the stories that I could tell, the ways of manipulating glass that people hadn't seen before," she says.


Anyone who has experienced Sarah's works in person marvels at the level of detail and imagines the amount of time and energy that goes into creating the works (not to mention the bandages, a hazard of working in glass). Her pieces, many of which are three feet by three feet, take up to 150 hours each to complete. Sarah, with an arsenal of tools and what must be a great deal of patience, can spend hours perfecting the glint of a character's eye or creating the highlights in an elegant coiffure.


 "I use glass because of how tactile it is and the textures and colors that you just can't get out of paint," she says. "It's a way to share, express, and to really connect to the inner part of my that I really don't show a lot of people. The mosaic themselves became little pieces of myself that, put together, makes something very powerful."



Although Sarah is endlessly patient with gallery visitors who have questions about her process, especially those who've attempted to work in stained glass or have tried a mosaic project themselves, "All the Little Pieces" is a visually compelling and intimate look at Sarah at work. It's fascinating to see her take a concept from a drawing to a finished piece. And the mesmerizing sounds of glass being scored and snipped bring the viewer into the studio while she works.


"Mosaics, especially the way I create them, requires several processes and that takes time, so each day in the studio may look very different," Sarah says. "In the first hour I’ll be preparing my work station, selecting the tools, tiles and glass that I will need for the day. Often, during the next hours I will be manipulating glass by various methods, including glass cutters, grinders, outlining and shaping, utilizing saws, breakers and nippers."


To truly appreciate Sarah's work and her powerful storytelling, stop by ArtSpace during gallery hours. Monmouth Arts will also be participating in Artists Sunday on December 1st, when we'll be a stop along a self-guided art walking tour of the many galleries in Red Bank; we'll be open from 1:00 - 3:00pm.



Regular ArtSpace gallery hours are Tuesdays and Thursdays, from 12:00 - 4:00pm; also by appointment. You can find us at 99 Monmouth Street, next to the Count Basie Center for the Arts administrative offices. Contact Connie Isbell at connie@monmoutharts.org or 732.212.1890 ext 101 for more information.


You can see more of Sarah's work on her website and Instagram.

 

Interested in becoming an artist member like Sarah? Join Monmouth Arts today and get all the benefits of a Monmouth Arts membership!

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