Latch ezar Boyadjiev

Innovative works in clay, glass & much more
LatchezarBoyadjiev
Luminous cast-glass sculptures
When your heart and head are filled with music, and your artistic medium is glass, the two naturally blend to create an
evocative symphony. Latchezar Boyadjiev studied music for
many years before turning to his ultimate expressive instrument-the vibrant, reflective medium of cast-glasssculptures.
Form, color, light, and detail are intertwined in his work, much
as a melody floats throughout a favorite song.
The free-flowing lines and emotional energy of Boyadjiev's
work reflect his belief in the importance of personal and creative freedom. Boyadjiev was born and raised in communist
Bulgaria.After spending most of a decadestudying music, and
then being unable to attend music school,he beganhis art education in 1979in Sofiaat the Academyof Applied Arts. He then
continued in Prague,Czechoslovakia,under the guidance of
the renowned glass artist Stanislav Libensky. As much as he
admired his colleagues,he was stifled by the deeply proscribed
atmosphereof the counny. To succeedas an artist, he would
be forced to join the communistparty and, as he explains, "I
wasn't communist, nobody in my family was communist, and I
had a lot of problems with the government."
Boyadjievwanted to be free to follow his dreams in his own
way. With great difftculty, he and his wife escapedto Italy and
ended up in an overcrowdedrefugeecamp in Latina. They were
finally granted political asylum in the United Statesand arrived
in the San FranciscoBay Area in September1986.He was unknown and without an artistic network to draw on, but he had
passionand was free at last, His first l0 years were spent cutting, grinding, polishing, and bonding optical glassand colored
filters into abstract sculptures. But he longed to create work
with more softnessand more energy,and soonhe beganto move
into glass casting. Over time his innovative pieces earned him
increasedattention and respect from collectors and colleagues,
and his reputatiori'has,continuedto grow. In 1997he begantraveling back to the CzechRepublicto cast his designsthere.
x 5'
CounterpointservesBoyadjievthe artist as ii did loyad;iev ^ ToBso vr' GLAsa' 88 x 25
the musician. In his deceptively simple works, contrasts define and enhance:He usesvariations in density and
transparency,smooth sweepsof color and textured detail, to createperspectiveand interest, energy and fluidity. The languageof the artist's work is the languageof line, balance, and movement.Each piece contains the
nucleusof a singular emotion-an emotion that flies beyond written languageto evokesensation.
Boyadjiev'sprocessis as complex as the man himself, encompassingwork in a range of materials and travel
acrosstwo continents.Everysculptureinitially takesform on paperashe sketcheswith charcoal,searchingfor and
distilling his conceptuntil it takesfinal shape."It has to be the right combinationof
size,composition,balance,and energy,"saysthe artist. He recreateson paperexactly
how it will look, including its color density and texture. Nothing is left to chance.
Oncehe hashis final drawing, he rendersit in clay.On a small tablein his studio, he
DO33trn
REPRESENTATION
SandraAinsleyGallery,Toronto, Ontario; Davis& Cline Galleries,Ashland,OR; Habatat Galleries,Boca Raton,
FL,and RoyalOak, Ml; Hawk Galleries,Columbus,OH; Holsten Galleries,Stockbridge,MA; PismoGallery,Aspen,
BeaverCreek,and Denver,CO; Thomas R. RileyGalleries,Cleveland,OH;JaneSauerGallery,SantaFe,NM.
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FINE ART CRAFT
sculpts a model with a palette knife. Boyadjiev then creates a plaster mold, a negative
of his design. From this he casts another
positive. Now he's ready to travel.
He flies to the Czech Republic where his
career began, carrying his plaster positives
as luggage. From Prague he drives north to
the town of Turnov, where he first selects his
colors. Czech Republic glass offers unique
color choices achieved by adding chemicals
such as copper or gold to clear glass, and it
is 45 percent lead, which brightens the hues
and creates a softness that helps in the cast,
ing process.Sculptures are cast in up to six
different colors for each design, with a new
mold used for each color since the mold is
destroyed in the extrication process.
At this point the pieces are left at the
Turnov studio where his longtime colleagues,Tomas Malek and Tomas Flander-
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ka, following Boyadjiev's careful instructions, complete the grinding and polishing
that gives each piece its ftnal luster. Their
assistancewith some of the technicalities
of the work frees Boyadjiev to spend more
time on the creative side. When finished,
the sculptures are shipped back to the
United States, ending their journey where
their conception began.
Boyadjiev's sculptures range in size
from table-top pieces to stand-alone pieces over 6 feet high. Their form is essentially abstract, frequently utilizing bold
colors reflective of each piece's emotional
expression. His award-winning work has
been extensively exhibited nationally
and internationally in museums, galleries, and private collections.
Soon Boyadjiev, whose life has been
driven by a need for creative freedom and
who dislikes boundaries, will perform his
search for inspiration and artistic expression in a new 6,800-square-foot studio.
He sums up his goals this way: "I want
my work to be monumental in size as well
as in design. I want it to become a part of
modern architecture and the contemporary
environment, to reflect the era in which we
live." -noseulRY cARsrENs
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