Silver Prize International Exhibition of Glass Kanazawa, Japan (2010)
Carol Milne (born 1962) is an American artist, best known for her unique technique of "knitted glass," which combines elements of traditional knitting with cast glass sculpture. Based inSeattle, Washington, Milne has exhibited her work internationally[1][2][3] and is recognized for her contributions to contemporary glass art.[4] Her sculptures have been featured in galleries and museums[5] and have been the subject of interviews[6] and media coverage,[7] highlighting her distinctive approach to the medium.[8]
Carol Milne was born in Canada and spent her first 18 years at 18 different addresses. She received a degree in Landscape Architecture at theUniversity of Guelph, but realized in her senior year that she was more interested in sculpture than landscape. Her senior thesis, “Landscape as Art/Art as Landscape,” drew her into the realm of sculpture and the dye was cast. She attended two years of graduate school in sculpture at theUniversity of Iowa, where she learned about metal casting and experimented with glass. She has been working as a sculptor ever since.
In 2006, Milne created "Knitted Glass", incorporating the techniques ofknitting,lost-wax casting,mold-making, andkiln-casting. As Milne describes in, "Knitting wasn't yet cool...":[9] The process involves (A) knitting the original art piece using wax strands, (B) surrounding the wax with a heat-tolerant refractory material, (C ) then removing the wax by melting it out, thus creating a mold; (D) the mold is placed in a kiln where lead crystal "frit" heated to 1,530 Fahrenheit melts into the mold; (E) after the mold has cooled, the mold material is removed to reveal the finished piece within.
"Carol Milne has blazed a new artistic path with her work in knittedglass. Bringing the visual illusion of softness and drape to amaterial that is fixed in its final form, her work has a wow factorthat encourages you to take a closer look at the nuances of herdesigns."[10]
Mosaic tile at Licton Springs Park, Seattle, Washington
From 1993 to 1996, Milne re-designed theLicton Springs, Seattle Playground in Seattle,[11] Washington.Working with ceramicist Lisa Halverson, and community volunteers, they worked with local school children to make urban wildlife tiles that were incorporated into the park design.
Since 2000, Milne has worked primarily in glass, although knitting also plays a major part in her non-glass sculptures. See, for example, "Grow Lights".[12][13]
