Bellezza Mizimah

Ghiribizzo

Arroventato Mizimah

A Woman of Glass  by Denise Terwillegar


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Mary Ann Zynsky, better known to the public as “Toots”, is one of the most renowned glassmakers of the 20^th century.  Many pieces of her work are part of the permanent collection at the Tampa Museum of Art.

Toots Zynsky (born 1951) uses a form of glass-making known as “filet de verre”, the process of pulling glass threads from hot glass cane, just like pulling taffy.  She is able to achieve thread-like strands by using a machine a friend designed specifically for her.  She invented the process of bundling and fusing together thousands of these tiny intensely colored glass strands to create a free-formed vessel, bowl-shaped. 

Toots uses her strong sense of color to produce her art; color is one of the most important parts of her work.  Besides her unique technique of glass making, color allows her to show how she sees objects and feeling.  These intense colors that Toots uses gives the feel of movement and flow in her work.

For example, Bellezza Mizimah, a piece which is now being displayed at the Habatat Galleries in Michigan, gives the feeling of a pale yellow, full upside down “A” line skirt, blowing in the wind with a slight band of light pink at the bottom of the shirt. This piece almost captures the feeling of running through a field.  The bowl’s whimsical design and light colors allow the viewer a feeling of carefree, uplifting enjoyment. 

Ghiribizzo, also being displayed at the Habatat Galleries, is without a doubt an array of beautiful and bright-feathered tulips just waiting to burst.  In this sculpture a viewer may also interpret the piece as an explosion of confetti to welcome in the New Year or any other joyous occasion.

Arroventato Mizimah can be viewed in a few ways, either as a luscious pair of red lips, a female sex organ or a single rose pedal or a tulip just waiting to bloom.  The texture of the finely pulled glass gives the viewer a feeling of movement and depth.  Even with a single color, Toots has a way of bringing to her pieces a sense of excitement and interest.     

Any viewer who sees Toots Zynsky’s pieces will be truly amazed at the processes of creating these vessels.  Every piece that Toots creates is unique in color and form.  There are no two pieces alike.