“My work explores the juxtaposition of order and randomness, as well as the natural human tendency to seek pattern in chaos, our persistent desire to find meaning in disorder. I’m inspired by the ordinary yet strangely beautiful phenomenon of degradation—weathered paint on shingles, peeling billboards, rusted metal siding—ordered objects altered by the haphazard effects of nature and time. I work in glass because it can be both transparent and reflective, elusive and tactile, pristine and gritty—the ideal medium for these pattern-finding and pattern-defying games.
Grids are an essential element of my work. The grid relates to architecture as one of its essential structures (e.g. square rooms, walls at right angles, and the basic shape of most building materials). Once a grid is established, I have many choices for playing with color and pattern. The process is similar to collage in which the materials may be cut-up and reassembled in endless combinations. Each piece is a process of discovery—similar, I hope, to the experience of the viewer.”
Born in New York City, Paul Housberg studied painting early in his career, but was drawn to glass for its atmospheric color. After receiving his Bachelor of Fine Arts and Master of Fine Arts degrees from the Rhode Island School of Design, he studied in England with Patrick Reyntiens, a pioneer in contemporary stained glass and the author of an international standard work on the technique. Later, as a Fulbright Scholar, Housberg pursued his exploration of glass at the International Center of Glass Research (CIRVA) in Marseille, France. Housberg currently lives and works in Jamestown, Rhode Island.