Willi Haye

Although line, color, space and shape share great importance in a piece of my art, in my mind, light is instrumental in contributing to the mood of a piece of my cast glass. With my abstract designs, I work on visualizing in my mind how the light can be directed through and inside a certain shape of glass as for me it's always about the luminous reflections and directions of the natural light surrounding a piece. Sometimes it's a smooth visual transition created by straight lines into the glass, and other times the designs allow one's eyes to move around for a few moments inside the glass absorbing the colors that are changed by the light depending on the color density of the glass. View video about work: Willi Haye Cast Glass

Willi Haye was born in the Netherlands and immigrated to the US as a child. She lived her formative years in the Netherlands immersed in the art of her abstract artist parents and their artist colleagues and friends who were also mainly interested in abstract art. While raising her family and working as a RN, she spent many years immersed in photography. Upon arrival in Santa Fe 25 years ago, she took advantage of the sculpture courses offered at the local community college. Welding was of great interest but for the last 15 years she has been working in cast glass. She has attended Pilchuck Glass School and taken multiple other courses to perfect her craft. She took the opportunity in 2016 to travel to the Czech Republic, live with a local family, and study at the oldest glass school in Europe with a cast glass maestro for a month. Attending the glass school in the Czech Republic was a life altering experience for her leading to the creation of abstract sculptures that appear simple at first glance, but on closer inspection, often reveal an alternate space within the glass.

3-D, Glass