Bird
sapphirine glass, fused in a mould, polished in acid, signed and dated Ivana Šrámková 2006, 50 x 55 x 7 cm (Zí)

Ivana Šrámková first studied at the Glassmaking Professional Secondary School in Železný Brod, then in prof. Libenský’s studio at the AAAD in Prague, graduating in 1987. The author belongs to the postmodern generation of glassmakers that emerged around 1990. Their works showed a tendency towards experimentation, irony, and a strong individual style. Ivana Šrámková primarily painted on glass, often in combination with glass blowing and other techniques. She later started to use fused sculptures, which she rid of their officiality and monumentality. She playfully modeled simple, sometimes ordinary themes with humor. She often created stylized human or animal figures. Recently, she has been focusing on bird motifs, often made out of fused glass. The author humorously combines glass with natural materials. Beaks are made of out small pebbles or wood; the feet and eyes are made out of metal or other materials. Her works are joyful, playful, and provocative.
The Bird on offer is made of rare sapphirine glass that changes color from opaque light brown to translucent blue depending on the intensity of the light shining through it.