Concrete & Glass Sculptures Balance Strength & Fragility

Michael Eddy is a sculpture artist from Louisiana who works with two very opposite mediums. He blends concrete and colored glass into seamless works of art. Eddy refers to his chosen materials as an ironic pairing, stating that, "To understand glass in the same respect as concrete is to push the concept of fragility vs. strength." His unique pieces focus on form, space and lighting and tend to have figurative meaning.

When incorporating glass into concrete, Eddy attempts to break down the essential characteristics of space.

Eddy has always been an artist at heart. From a very young age he pursued visual arts in school. For a few years after high school he veered away from the arts, only to return in 2005. It was then that he enrolled in Southeastern Louisiana University as a Visual Arts major. SLU helped foster Eddy's creative abilities and turned him into the artist he is today. He is incredibly grateful to SLU and wishes to congratulate them on the program's recent accreditation.

It was in an upper division 3-D sculpture class at SLU that Eddy was first introduced to concrete as an artistic medium. He was given an assignment that required him to design a mold and his own concrete mix in order to create an abstract sculpture. Eddy's signature combination of concrete and glass was born from this assignment. Over the last three years he has created many distinctive pieces and is constantly finding new ways to meld the two mediums.

Here, Eddy creates the illusion that delicate
waves of glass are supporting heavy concrete.

Green concrete and glass aggregates
blend nicely with the colored glass.

Eddy begins his artistic process by drawing inspiration from architecture and previous art styles. He does online research and looks at countless images. Next, he sketches out his own vision for a piece. Once his vision is firm, Eddy creates a custom mold that will define the shape of his sculpture. Then he turns his attention to the concrete mix, adding color and aggregates to the concrete. Most commonly, his primary source of reinforcement are delicate fragments of glass aggregates. Next, he pours the mix into the mold. Then larger pieces of colored glass are inserted into the freshly poured concrete so that it will become an integral part of the sculpture as it sets. Eddy finishes off his pieces by water polishing both the concrete and the glass.

The concrete and glass sculptures that Eddy creates can be seen at many festivals in Louisiana. In fact, he just recently displayed and sold his work at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. He has plans to participate in a number of other local festivals in the near future, check his website for information. If you are interested in purchasing one of Eddy's pieces (they would make a great addition to any home or office), browse his website and contact him directly about the piece of your choice.

Michael Eddy
(985) 264-8786
www.stormeddy.com
concreteddy@gmail.com