INHABITED PLANET (1998), BY JOSH SIMPSON
ACQUIRED FROM VESPERMANN GALLERY, ATLANTA, GEORGIA, APRIL 1999
MULTI-LAYERED HOTWORKED GLASS AND SILVER REACTIVE GLASS WITH GLASS CANE INCLUSIONS, SIGNATURE ENGRAVED ON THE BASE BY THE ARTIST


While I was in Seattle, I happened to visit the Northwest Discoveries gallery in Bellevue Square. They had a bowl on display (similar to my New Mexico Plate) that was created by an artist named Josh Simpson, whom I'd never heard of before. The accompanying book showed some of his other works, including his planets. I was intrigued, so I made a note to myself to check him out when I got back to Charlotte.

After I returned to Charlotte, I drove up to Raleigh to visit Bob Rankin. I happened to mention Josh Simpson to Bob, and he said, "Oh, I have one of his planets myself!" The planet Bob had was pretty cool, so I knew I would definitely like to see more planets.

I found Josh Simpson's web site and sent an e-mail asking for the names of galleries in Charlotte and Atlanta that carry Josh Simpson's works. One of the names I got was the Vespermann Gallery in Atlanta. While in Atlanta working the Microsoft booth at the AIIM '99 conference, I drove to the Vespermann Gallery, checked out their selection of planets, and chose this one.

Here's the funny part: When I returned to Charlotte to find my magnum weight waiting for me, I saw that the box in which the weight was shipped was originally shipped from the Vespermann Gallery in Atlanta!

This planet is approximately 4" in diameter, and contains quite a bit of surface detail. This planet features forests, sea life (in the form of anemones), and a few spaceships flying above the surface of the planet. If you look through the base of this planet, there is even some detail inside the planet. I think it's incredible how much detail you can see in this work... for even larger and more impressive examples of planets (megaplanets), see Dark Persephone and Verdant Ceres.

Scroll down to see a reverse shot of this work.

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