For most of us the word neon brings to mind the glaring signage of Times Square or the bright lights of Las Vegas. While it’s true that neon got its start in the commercial field of advertising, a few creative artists have manipulated the technique of glass-bending with the noble gases into a dynamic and vibrant sculptural medium worthy of museums and private collections.
ILLUMINATIONS: The Neon Sculpture of Brian Coleman and David Svenson is a wondrous contemporary exhibition that showcases the work of two such neon artists that have taken the art form to new dimensions. Known as the “noble gases,” neon, argon, krypton, helium, and xenon are all natural elements coexisting in our environment. When isolated and electrically charged, each gives a unique color of light. Because neon is the brightest, it became the familiar name for the glass tube sign industry.
Brian Coleman and David Svenson first met in 1985 when Coleman’s work was at the Museum of Neon Art in Los Angeles. Although Svenson grew up in the rural citrus country of Southern California and Coleman spent his high school years in New York City, the two discovered they had chosen similar lifestyles in the quiet nature of California. They have exhibited together countless times since their first meeting twenty years ago.
Brian is a pioneer in neon art and was a major inspiration to me when I was starting,” said Svenson. Coleman began working with neon more than thirty years ago and says he was introduced to the mysteries of neon fabrication through the kindness and patience of a neon sign bender in San Francisco. Svenson also learned the basics of working with neon from a commercial tube bender. Neither artist began their careers planning to work in neon. Coleman was a high profile designer in New York with years of lucrative commission work in lighting and interior design after graduating from the Pratt Institute. Svenson’s sculpture was rooted in woodcarving and other sculptural materials when he began incorporating neon into his work in the 1980s.
Today, Coleman maintains a full-time studio creating dramatic one-of-a-kind commissions. Svenson teaches at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco and has taught at Pilchuck Glass School north of Seattle, Washington. He is a board member of the Museum of Neon Art and works periodically with a team of Native Alaskan totem carvers on large commissions.
OMA is delighted to present the neon sculpture of these two talented and visionary artists. Together, they exemplify how technique and beauty combine to create magic.
