Sallie Portnoy
Glass Sculpture (Manly, NSW)

At home on the Northern Beaches of Sydney, Sallie indulges in the ‘goings on’ of big city life and appreciates the luxury of living on the Manly Lagoon nature reserve with sweeping views of the Pacific Ocean. Cast glass sculpture, both kiln fired and hot cast from the furnace, is her specialty. She also works in clay, bronze, cement and polystyrene when the project suits.

Much of Sallie's imagery is based in mythology and inspired by mystical stories and abstract thought. The figure in her glass pieces has been used as a universal symbol of the vessel, the soul, and is a symbiosis of the female form and the artistic investigation of positive and negative space. The figures speak with light, movement and simple sensuality. They are about female empowerment and empowerment of humankind at large. As much as Portnoy's work is narrative and a study of form, it is also very much an exploration of light. The glass plays with the light as it changes from thick to thin, as it absorbs and reflects the light, and as different colours mix when they are melted together.

Sallie's work has been shown is several solo and group exhibitions around Australia, including Soho Gallery (Sydney), Glass Artists Gallery (Sydney), Manly Art Gallery (Sydney), Raglan Street Gallery (Sydney), Salmon Gallery (Sydney) Distilfink Gallery (Melbourne) and Gunyulgup Gallery (WA). Says Sallie "Inspiration is a mystery to me. What I create surprises and excites me and offers a window into deep experiences of consciousness. My creative output filters through my fascination with human nature, the physical form, psychology, mysticism and the enigmas of ritual."

Contact Sallie Portnoy