Helene Safire, I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles, 2002, blown glass, 24 5⁄8 x 1 1⁄8 in. diam. (62.4 x 2.9 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Joyce and Robert Menschel Fund, 2003.24
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Artwork Details
- Title
- I’m Forever Blowing Bubbles
- Artist
- Date
- 2002
- Location
- Not on view
- Dimensions
- 24 5⁄8 x 1 1⁄8 in. diam. (62.4 x 2.9 cm)
- Credit Line
- Gift of the Joyce and Robert Menschel Fund
- Mediums
- Mediums Description
- blown glass
- Classifications
- Object Number
- 2003.24
Artwork Description
Helene Safire was “immediately captivated” when she first witnessed flameworking, a technique in which the artist heats glass with a torch then pulls, twists, and blows the softened material into different shapes. Here, Safire applied intricate designs in colored glass to the surfaces of large, clear beads. The tiny flowers and leaves evoke vines that have grown over and around each glass bubble. The animated design and bright colors reflect the optimism of the title, I’m Forever Blowing Bubbles, which is also the name of a song written in 1919 and popular across America during the 1920s.