British artist Chris Wood creates breathtaking pieces of art using only two simple things – light and glass. He is an expert at painstakingly arranging small squares of delicate glass that reflect light in a certain way, thereby creating exquisitely colorful light patterns that dazzle the eye.

Chris uses dichroic (two-color) glass, containing a special coating that alters the wavelength of light. So when he directs light through his wall-mounted glass structure, the glass alters the color and direction of the reflected light, resulting in a complex array of colors in continually changing patterns.

Having studied furniture design at Middlesex University, a special interest in light led him to explore the physical and visual qualities of glass. So he went on to study glass at the Royal College of Art, where he worked on architectural scale projects dealing with issues of light and space.

“Glass is a material which allows me to exploit the aesthetic potential of light,” he wrote on his website. “Minimal structures support simple arrangements of glass, which interact with light to create complex patterns of light and shade, which change depending on the position of the viewer and the angle of the light source.”

Chris, who lives and works in Cambridgeshire, mostly produces experimental glass and light works for exhibition. He was one of the eleven artists selected for the Arts Council England Eastern Region Escalator Scheme in 2005. Occasionally, he also produces work to commission for architectural and interior design projects.

The next exhibition of Chris’ colorful glass arrangements will be at a group show called Christmas Cracker, with the Byard Art Gallery in Cambridge. The show opens on November 29, and will feature over 50 artists and design-makers.

Source: Cube Breaker