Artist's Studio: Richard Jolley

Richard Jolley's Studio, 2009 by Richard McCabe

In June of 2004, the Ogden Museum hosted its first nationally travelling exhibition, Richard Jolley: Sculptor of Glass. Co-curated by the Ogden's Director, J. Richard Gruber, working with Stephen Wicks, of the Knoxville Museum of Art, the exhibition debuted at the Knoxville Museum of Art before beginning a national tour. The travelling exhibition featured works by the artist from 1984 through 2002, and was accompanied by a catalogue featuring a comprehensive essay by Dr. Gruber. In its Ogden incarnation, Dr. Gruber and the artist incorporated works made after 2002, showing his response to the exhibition.

Jolley at the Kiln, 2009 by Richard McCabe

In June of 2009, the Ogden's Richard McCabe and Bradley Sumrall were treated to a tour of the West Knoxville studio that Jolley has worked in since 1975, catching a glimpse of the new direction this ever-changing artist is taking his work. Set off the highway in a thicket of woods, the studio was filled with activity.

Hand-built Holding Furnaces, 2009 by Richard McCabe

"What I am trying to do is achieve a humanistic art."

Studio Assistant James Breed, 2009 by Richard McCabe

The new forms in Jolley's work are still heavily inspired by classical human forms. One sees a direct relation to his series Busts (1990-1994), Torsos (1994-1996) and Totems (1996-2001), yet the forms are fresh, minimalist, and both contemporary and deeply connected to his Pop Art roots.

Kenneth Gonzales, James Breed and Raul Garcia, 2009 by Richard McCabe

"Jolley views himself as an artist who works in glass, not as a 'glass artist.' For him, the distinction is a critical one," Dr. Gruber wrote in 2002. In 2009, we see that Jolley still holds that belief, and continues to push the boundaries of his medium.