Picturing Places and Spaces

The shape of this vessel resembles a Chinese guan or "ginger jar" with a rounded, ovoid body, a high shoulder, and a small mouth. Images of wispy clouds float over solitary pine trees set against a blue background. The pine is a popular motif in Asian art symbolizing longevity because it remains green even in the harshest conditions. Nygren selected Asian motifs for other works, including blossoming plum trees or persimmon trees with gnarled branches.

John Nygren received his MFA from the Cranbrook Academy of Art, and in 1968, he trained in the art of glassblowing at the Penland School of Crafts, N.C. In 1969, he built the New Branch Glass Studio in Walnut Cove, North Carolina. Nygren documents his works in an illustrated journal, stamps each with a seal, and engraves the date, registry number, and a full signature on the bottom. He notes his "love of nature and the environment are persistent themes" in his work, and as part of his stewardship of the environment, he melts recycled glass to create his works of art.