Nick Wirdnam has been a major contributor to the Australian art glass scene for many years and, after a solid grounding in traditional glass practice, has made a shift toward conceptual sculpted form.  Incorporating a language of recurring symbols and motifs, Nick sets up a dream-like and ambiguous narrative that allows room for individual interpretation.  We are immediately drawn to these objects by their colour and exquisite surface texture, then mystified by the particular arrangements, the subtle changes of detail and the suggested story.  His recent body of work explores the phenomenon of superstition, and the objects and symbols that have come to embody such beliefs.  Using hot sculpting glass techniques, Nick has produced auspicious objects of both a surreal and realistic nature.  Each piece is titled with consideration of the desired outcome of a superstitious belief, prophesising that each key, wishbone, acorn or pig possesses the ability to ward off negative elements or ensure fortuitous results such as prosperity, stength or knowledge.  The glass forms believably adopt the surface texture and colouration of the object they represent, the technique particularly remarkable in the ‘wooden’ keys and wishbones.

Born in Portsmouth, England, Nick Wirdnam began his career in studio glass as a foundation member of the Isle of Wight Studio in 1975.  Nick moved to Australia in the 1980s and took up teaching positions at Monash University, Melbourne, where he continued to lecture until 2007.  He received a Pilchuck Scholarship to attend hot-sculpting classes with Italian master, Dino Rosin in 1998 and has been a finalist in the Ranamok Prize from 2002 to 2004.  Nick Wirdnam exhibits widely in Australia and overseas, and his work is represented in major public collections including the National Gallery of Australia, Wagga Wagga Art Gallery (National Art Glass Collection), Queensland Art Gallery, Northlands Creative Glass Collection (Scotland), Ebeltoft Glass Museum (Denmark) and the Glass Museum in Nijima, Japan.