Past Sins

Therman Statom studied at the well-known Pilchuck Glass School in Washington, earned his BFA at the Rhode Island School of Design (where he was taught by Dale Chihuly), and subsequently his MFA at Pratt Institute of Art, New York. Statom is one of the few and most notable African American artists active in the American studio glass movement. He is best known for his glass houses, both small-scale and life-size, as well as representations of domestic furniture in glass. “Past Sins” is an archetypal example of Statom’s small-scale houses. These pieces are created through a technique of adhering clear glass plates together. By sandblasting the glass plates, the artist utilizes their surface as a canvas for colorful abstract painting and often attaches found and blown glass objects, resulting in a mélange of techniques and materials.