Brady Steward

Brady Steward works in glass, but his sculptures have a weight and force not normally associated with that medium. Despite the occasional hint of lightness and transparency in his pieces, Steward, who has studios in Houston and New Orleans, leans strongly toward somber colors and compositions that feel earthbound. Through his hands, the heat and energy involved in bending glass to his purposes result in works that at times mimic the look of molten lava, and at others have the appearance of cast metal.

Figures emerge from bases that could pass for either ocean waves or pieces of stone. His faceless human figures and fragments are presented in a way that highlights their connections to water, earth and other natural forms. For example, Steward notes that in his pieces “veins look like rivers and arroyos.” But the physicality is tempered with a harmonious sense of balance and flow which gives his powerful sculptures what he calls their “fluid and abstract” feel, harnessing nature’s power within a well thought-out artistic framework.