German glass artist Wilfried Grootens was born in 1954 in Uedem. At the age of 15 he apprenticed as a glass painter, restoring antique stained glass windows. By the 1980s, he had mastered the optical float technique where he paints, stacks, laminates and polishes layers of glass to create cube sculptures. His painted patterns seem to float within the cube, creating a magical display of optical illusion.
“In my current glass work I use the optical float technique. I paint on layers of glass and assemble them in stacks, laminating them together to create cube forms. The cubes are cut and polished to perfection. One sculpture in the series, "Where the Shark Bubbles Blow", is made from 35 layers of painted glass. For this piece,I paint a circle shape on the surface of each thin layer of clear glass. Made of thousands of very fine brush strokes of varying tones, the painted circle creates a wonderful aqua blue. The circles on each layer recede or expand in size gradually and when seen together form a miraculous three dimensional globe, which seems to be suspended in the cube. The painted globe is reflected on the planes of the cube, duplicating itself partially and in one view it disappears entirely - in a dizzying display of optical illusion and geometry as art”.
“With my glass painting I fill transparent, geometric spaces whose visual explorations produce surprising variations in forms. Different perspectives on apparent spherical floating built-up forms of linear brush strokes, reveal to the viewer a new frame of reference within the object's space”.
Awards
1973 First prize in Handwerkskammer Düsseldorf competition.
1973 First prize in the NRW competition.
1991 Second prize in the glass competition of the Galerie Ewers at Gross St. Martin.
2003 Second prize Immenhäuser Glass Prize
2002/2003 Nomination Pebem glass art prize
2009 Third prize Immenhäuser Glass Prize”
2010 Second prize Glasveredlerpreis zur Glasstec 2010
2011 Third prize
2011 State prize
2013 Third prize 'Fun with colours' TGK international competition 2013