Brit Micho, Associate Curator of Exhibitions
When studio glasswork first began in the 60s and 70s, hot shops were a male-dominated arena with few female glass artists gaining any recognition. By the 1990s, the medium was gaining popularity and technical knowledge, taught by established glass artists, was reaching diverse students in hot shops across the United States. It was around this time that Debora Moore first stepped foot into the glass studio, at the Pratt Fine Arts Center, trading her ceramics and throwing wheel for molten glass and blow torches.
In the beginning she could not afford classes, and was taking care of her daughter, niece, and nephew. Her ambition to learn glass led her to work for free in hot shops, pushing herself to gain as much experience in the medium as she could and become one of the finest Maestras of contemporary glass.
After Moore attended Pratt she studied at Pilchuck Glass School in the early 90s, and quickly found her calling. By the latter half of the decade she was making a name for herself when Dale Chihuly, famous glass artist and founder of Pilchuck Glass School, invited her to work in his studio as an assistant and colorist. In 2005, the Abate Zanetti School of Glass–an infamous Venetian glass studio reaching back to the 13th century on the island of Murano– invited Moore to attend, making her the first woman and first Black artist-in-residence to work in the hot shop with the Italian masters.
Moore is known for her botanical glasswork, specifically her skill in creating orchids. Relating to her choice of medium, she has stated:
Her work, Yellow Epidendrum, from the Branch series, hangs in FWMoA’s Contemporary Studio Glass Wing, inviting the viewer to take a closer look at its intricate detail.
Growing up on different airbases, Moore would look for refuge from the bustling military environment, often finding her solace in forests, parks, or deserts and getting lost in the flora and fauna that surrounded her. This sparked her initial interest in creating natural forms in her work. Moore’s glass serves as creative interpretations of nature rather than faithful reproductions; she captures the essence, or feeling, of an orchid in its natural state. At the site of the orchid, Moore sketches her ideas for her sculpture, deciding what she wants to emphasize or add to the flower. Here, Moore introduced purple, her favorite color, to the patterning within the flower as a creative twist on a typical yellow epidendrum, whose color rarely strays from solid yellow. Through years of honing her practice, Moore’s skill with color is apparent in her work. Before she begins any project, she researches and tests what colors she will use to make the most successful piece. The correct color combinations can make or, literally, break glass works and are expensive without proper knowledge and experimentation.
The Branch series, for which the Yellow Epidendrum was created, features a creative take on how orchids survive in the wild. Trees often host orchids in a symbiotic relationship, meaning they do not harm each other as they grow nor do they help each other–they simply exist together. Moore has taken this relationship and put a creative spin on the botanical structure of how orchids attach themselves to the branch and bloom.
Included in Yellow Epidendrum drooping next to the flowering orchid is an organic, pod-like structure that is reminiscent of a vanilla bean pod. Moore’s interest in orchids includes the plant that produces the vanilla bean, which happens to be an orchid itself. Perhaps this pod is representative of a vanilla bean pod in the process of growing and preparing for harvest.
Temperate Rainforests, like those in her home state of Washington, serve as inspiration for the lichen and moss found on the branches in Moore’s work. Her research into lichen and moss in their natural habitat has led her from the Pacific Northwest region of the U.S. to the glaciers and rivers of algae in Antarctica. This research and experimentation, along with her skills as a colorist, has led to a realistic portrayal of soft moss in a physically hard medium.
Moore has become one of the finest Maestras of contemporary glass. To see her work in person, visit FWMoA’s Glass Wing!