2023. My projects.

In 2023, perhaps for the first time since 2014, I worked at full capacity as much as I could. I worked both at home and at the Atelier, where I go twice a week for art therapy for people with mental issues. I am bipolar. In 2023, I moved, and now I have a new, spacious, bright studio where I enjoy working very much. So, I worked not contrary to the circumstances but with tremendous pleasure and enthusiasm.

The year began with the creation of Fantasy #N+1, my own music in glass. This is how I call my improvisations, where I try to create compositions that come to my mind.

Then I made the Lavender Song. I had a very beautiful piece of glass, and I decided to make it even more beautiful. The project turned out to be very simple and very effective.

Working on Shinobu was a long process. I messed up the first one - it exploded in the kiln, but I promised my son to create his favorite anime character in glass. I couldn't find an approach to her until my son told me that she is Hashira - the highest recognition of Mastery in the ranking table. And suddenly I heard her name. It occurred to me that she is called Shi. The name of this work became clear right away, which looks amazing in English. She is Shi. And as soon as this came to my mind, I immediately created the piece. The full name: She is Shi. Hashira Shinobu Kocho.

Then I moved, and in the new studio, I started a very interesting experiment. I found the work of Goyo Hashiguchi (Standing Beauty, c.1920). It depicts a beautiful woman in a transparent negligee. And I came up with the project Three Graces. I made three different faces, three different hair colours, three different nail colours. But the figures of the graces were made with one contour. I shaded the bodies and made a transparent negligee in three different ways. I had no idea what would come out, but it turned out to be a very interesting and graceful work.

The next piece is Becky. Earth-born Cat, also a miniature, measuring 6.5" x 8.5". I really like this size. It results in small works that are convenient to hold and display on a desk. So, Becky is my son's cat. And for the first time in this project, I attempted to draw the cat's portrait with glass powder myself. In other words, I didn't place Becky's image under the glass but looked and drew. However, technically, I made a mistake - I applied black powder, forgetting that it is the most fluid during firing. And Becky's portrait turned out with holes between the applied powder. I'll redo it; I need to refine this moment.

The next project was emotionally challenging. In March, my stained glass teacher, Rock Laplante, passed away. It's a significant loss for me; I first met a professional who taught me a lot. He was my instructor at the Atelier. We had an amazing resonance. I did many stained glass and fusing projects under Rock's observation. And I decided to write sad music in glass. An integral part of the project is the explanatory text. Here's what is written on the work. This project is called Requiem. For Those Whom I Lost On My Way. Canary Yellow is the color chosen to represent my path as a glass artist from September 2014 to May 2023. Garnet Red represents my unhealed wounds. Aventurine Blue represents my healed wounds both old and new. The Opaline stars represent the melody for the healing of the wounds of my soul. Aventurine Green represents my creativity during this period. I salute those who are still alive! I mourn for those who have left us... The music is sadness.

I worked on the project 11.25° for a long time, several months, almost half a year. It's my first work from the series "Games of Geniuses." The design is based on a drawing by Leonardo da Vinci, reproduced in a woodcut by Albrecht Dürer. I recreated this amazing ornament in glass. The text written on the work states:

I called this project 11.25° as I observed 32 repetitions in the inner circle of the Ornament. The Ornament was created by Leonardo da Vinci and was reproduced in a woodcut by Albrecht Dürer (circa 1507). During my glass work on the Ornament, I discovered that it consists of six threads; four forming the main structure and two threads serving as auxiliary elements. This is the first work on my glass series "Geniuses' Games." 1 out of 7. Glasswork and technique by Julia Protkova. June 2023.

The project Magic of the Alhambra is the result of my admiration for the amazing ornamentation of the Alhambra Palace and the exploration of complex geometric patterns. I saw it during my visit to the Alhambra in 2022, and I also used a sketch by M.C. Escher from 1922 when he visited the Alhambra. I intentionally changed the color palette and even created a small video to show how this intricate 16-ray ornament forms so wonderfully.

The project Arctic Adventure is a stained glass piece created by me at the Studio. A sailing ship glides through the Arctic Ocean, and fluffy snow gently falls. This is my third sailboat, designed by me. I have a stained glass sailboat with crimson sails, one with pink sails, and now there's a sailboat with blue sails, filled with the cold northern wind. I love the Arctic; I spent five years working there in my youth. This stained glass piece is a reminiscence of my youth, of the years spent in the Arctic.

The project Creation of the World is my own interpretation of the Creation of the World. I believe that our world is a research laboratory for God.
Before I show you the works, let me present the beginning of the text for the project.

Once upon a time, there was God. And He had countless different games. And suddenly, a Thought came to God. To create a material Universe. And to breathe Spirit into every particle of the Universe.

God was extremely pleased with the Thought. And God began the preparation for the materialization of the project. Firstly, God contemplated the elements that would participate in the materialization. These were the finest particles visible only to God. They had different properties, compositions, and colors. God took a grid - the portal's blueprint - and decided it would be the coordinate grid to track the process of Materializing the Thought.

My entire cycle of the Creation of the World consists of Ten Steps.
Step 1. Materialization of the Thought. (The Big Bang).
Step 2. Division into Light and Darkness. (Dynamic Duality).
Step 3. Division into Elements. (Earth-Water-Fire-Air).
Step 4. Creation of the Cosmos (Stars-Sun-Galaxies...)
.......

I will show the first four Steps of my Creation of the World project, made in 2023. All four works are united by the Thought, depicted in different colours (Steps 1-3) or laid out with Opaline balls symbolizing stars.

Step 1 of 10 is called Materialization of Thought. Essentially, it is my vision of the Big Bang. Here, the glowing Pimento Red Thought is depicted against the background of the distribution of the primary material in all directions.

Step 2 of 10 is called Dynamic Duality. In this work, the Thought cools slightly and turns Orange against a background of yellow-purple interactions. I avoid creating purely black-and-white interactions because they represent radically polarized points. I selected three shades of yellow and three shades of purple to create a dynamic background.

Step 3 of 10 is called Alchemy of Elements. In this work, the Thought takes on the cooled hues of glacial blue ice. The background for the Thought consists of multi-layered interactions of the primary elements - Fire, Water, Air, and Earth.

Step 4 of 10 is called Creation of the Cosmos. In this step, the Thought is laid out with Opaline balls. This signifies that the Thought has not just cooled but crystallized, giving rise to stars. This piece was highly experimental - I tested many aspects.

It's also worth mentioning that the Creation of the World project was fired in two stages.

The project Facing the Unknown was created in December 2023. I provided detailed information about it here. In brief, I stylized it after the Spanish manuscript Beatus Silos Apocalypse from the early 12th century. I chose to be the main character in my glasswork and tame the dragon of the Apocalypse using sparkling fragments of coloured glass. It's a very interesting project that didn't turn out quite as expected - there are bubbles along the frame of the piece. I plan to redo this work and try new thermal profiles.

The work on the Amber Ship has been a very important project for me. I've been nurturing this idea for about fifteen years. I want to create an Amber Room, perhaps a cafe, where only shades of amber will prevail. From floor to ceiling. After all, amber comes in various shades - from milky white to brown. In this amber room, there will be a mystique - a meeting of the living with those who have left our world. I made the Amber Sail from medium sized frit, and I managed to match all the shades. I am very pleased with this work.