soaking up every minute of summer…lots of paddling on lake michigan after work!! which turns into inspo of course.
concept lake c Heather Hancock 2024
concept prairie grasses v1 c Heather Hancock 2024
soaking up every minute of summer…lots of paddling on lake michigan after work!! which turns into inspo of course.
concept lake c Heather Hancock 2024
concept prairie grasses v1 c Heather Hancock 2024
I recently got to explore this new “looking up’ view based on 1271 Ave of the Americas in NYC. This plan is for the pieces to be framed in black and hang in a home office.
REFLECT 4.11 looking up 2@2.5’x2’ glass inlay and concrete c Heather Hancock 2024
detail REFLECT 4.11 looking up 2@2.5’x2’ glass inlay and concrete c Heather Hancock 2024
detail REFLECT 4.11 looking up 2@2.5’x2’ glass inlay and concrete c Heather Hancock 2024
detail REFLECT 4.11 looking up 2@2.5’x2’ glass inlay and concrete c Heather Hancock 2024
REFLECT 4.11 looking up 2@2.5’x2’ glass inlay and concrete c Heather Hancock 2024
Love getting install pix. Here are the REFLECT pieces created for a Denver based residential developer. Compositions were developed based on the developer’s portfolio to create a grouping for their lobby. The focus is on the various peaked rooflines to echo the surrounding mountain ranges that form the dramatic backdrop to Denver.
REFLECT 4.10 ‘home’ | 4@2’ x 2’ hand cut glass + concrete c Heather Hancock 2024 photo credit: Nine Dot Arts
REFLECT 4.10 ‘home’ | 4@2’ x 2’ hand cut glass + concrete c Heather Hancock 2024
REFLECT 4.10 ‘home’ | 4@2’ x 2’ hand cut glass + concrete c Heather Hancock 2024 photo credit: Nine Dot Arts
REFLECT 4.10 ‘home’ | 4@2’ x 2’ hand cut glass + concrete c Heather Hancock 2024 photo credit: Nine Dot Arts
REFLECT 4.10 ‘home’ | 4@2’ x 2’ hand cut glass + concrete c Heather Hancock 2024 photo credit: Nine Dot Arts
Delighted to see this article about my work posted on ShoutoutColorado
read full article here (it is slow to load btw!)
Here are some (condensed) highlights but you can find the full interview + images of recent projects here.
ShoutOut CO: Walk us through the thought-process of starting your business.
I began my journey in healthcare as a speech-language pathologist and later as director of rehabilitation, providing innovative care to help people return to health and life. Realizing that well-being extends beyond physical health, I combined my understanding of human cognition with my passion for art to establish my own studio.
My goal is to infuse spaces—homes, offices, hotels, and healthcare facilities—with energy and vitality through bold contrasts and shimmering reflectance, enhancing well-being and inspiring those who encounter my work.
ShoutOut CO: Tell us more about your art, what are you excited about these days?
My art blends glass inlay with rugged concrete textures to create dimensional pieces that dance with light and transform with movement. Drawing from my healthcare background, I infuse my work with ideas and vibrancy, inspired by the intersection of nature and urban landscapes. I aim to help people see the world in new ways, finding beauty in unexpected places and staying connected with nature.
ShoutOut CO: What do you want the world to know about you and your work?
I believe in creating spaces where everyone can flourish. Art goes beyond decoration; it’s a vital component of living well, fostering growth, connection, and enrichment.
OK. LOVE this project.
Project brief: Create a set of 4 architectural pieces for a clients’ office lobby using their residential homes as basis for compositions.
The clients provided a range of images of their residential properties for me to use to develop four compositions at 2’ x 2’.
My first decision was to include 4 properties with peaked roofs. These are cut in iridescent glass for a dynamic line that also connects with the mountain context of these projects.
These pieces feature a monochromatic textured sky in bright white and . one in silver gray for a sleek streamlined feel. The buil dings are similarly reduced down to essential features with high contrast elements, rhythms and shadows to create dimension.
This new piece reimagines a familiar view—the shimmering shoreline of Lake Michigan. Inspired by the bold abstraction of VISTA: Grasslands, the clients requested a “Chicago version” with a similar palette and stylized interpretation for their corporate office. Layers of glass capture the lake’s movement and light, creating a dynamic, reflective surface. Set within an LED-lit frame, the piece glows, amplifying its depth and energy. The result is a striking fusion of nature and city, distilled into a luminous, contemporary composition.
VISTA shoreline 5’ x 3.5’ glass inlay + concrete c Heather Hancock 2024 | photo credit Grayhaus Studios
If you know me, you know I love living near Lake Michigan. I take every chance to walk or paddle. I am endlessly fascinated by the palette of blues, grays, whites, creams…and then there’s all the sunrise drama out there.
VISTA shoreline 5’ x 3.5’ glass inlay + concrete c Heather Hancock 2024 | photo credit Grayhaus Studios
I loved creating this super shimmery version of our shoreline. The edged panel hangs within a frame of LED lighting for extra shine. LOVE!
detail Vista: shoreline
detail Vista: shoreline
Vista: shoreline 5’ x 3.5’ glass inlay + texture c Heather Hancock 2024
WIP | cutting glass
WIP | cutting glass
WIP | cutting glass
Progression of an idea from inspo image to final sketch.
inspo pic with diagonal shoreline | Lake Michigan
sketch v1 HH
sketch v2 HH
sketch | VISTA: shoreline c Heather Hancock 2024
Vista: shoreline 5’ x 3.5’ glass inlay + texture c Heather Hancock 2024
OK. I started calling these “urban fragments” but now I’m liking “urban moments”…these little glimpses of urban beauty…generally where nature and city intersect.
Over the past year my cityscapes have expanded to include landscapes…and lakescapes..and desertscapes…. Painted backgrounds with natural imagery foregrounded using glass inlay is a satisfying effect I’ve been working toward for a long time.
Some of these drawings have been realized as dimensional art pieces. So much potential for fresh views as graphic abstractions.
I’ve been thinking about new ideas inspired by our trip to Mexico City last spring. Nature and city, architecture and engineering, matte textures and polished surfaces, neutrals and color, minimalism and maximalism. So many inspiring and contrasting moments in that city. I started by making small versions to test some of my ideas with this approach. Lots to explore here!!
test piece TITLE TBD | 22” x 10” glass inlay + texture + paint c Heather Hancock 2024
urban fragments01 | 22” x 10” c Heather Hancock 2024
detail
urban fragments02 | 22” x 10” c Heather Hancock 2024
detail
urban fragments03a | 22” x 10” c Heather Hancock 2024
detail
urban fragments03b | 22” x 10” c Heather Hancock 2024
detail
Happy to see these lovelies up and shimmering in a Nashville hotel. These pieces come out of my deep belief that we are attuned to rhythms in the world around us. I explore the many powerful rhythms I find in the city which are sometimes overlooked as important aesthetic and visual rhythms.
REFLECT 3@32” x 32” hand cut glass + concrete c Heather Hancock 2023 photo credit Whitaker Art Consulting
REFLECT 3@32” x 32” hand cut glass + concrete c Heather Hancock 2023
detail REFLECT 3@32” x 32” hand cut glass + concrete c Heather Hancock 2023
detail REFLECT 3@32” x 32” hand cut glass + concrete c Heather Hancock 2023
Lots of ideas swirling around next directions with REFLECT/architectural series.
I learned so much working on this series. There are a few 2’x2’ pieces left. Here are some groupings.
REFLECT 1.54 shadows | REFLECT 1.36 glass+concrete c Heather Hancock
REFLECT 1.58 truss | REFLECT 1.36 minimalist | REFLECT 1.48 light study | glass+concrete c Heather Hancock
REFLECT 1.55 curve | REFLECT 1.19 black grid | REFLECT 1.48 light study | glass+concrete c Heather Hancock
REFLECT 1.43 grid | REFLECT 1.35 abstract Mies | REFLECT 1.19 grid | glass+concrete c Heather Hancock
rendering | REFLECT 1.58 REFLECT 1.36 REFLECT 1.43 each 2’x 2’ glass+concrete c Heather Hancock
REFLECT 1.54 shadow | REFLECT 1.56 concrete | glass+concrete c Heather Hancock
REFLECT 1.49 light study | REFLECT 1.48 light study | REFLECT 1.47 light study | glass+concrete c Heather Hancock
REFLECT 1.42 marina | REFLECT 1.50 perspective glass+concrete c Heather Hancock
rendering | REFLECT 1.36 + REFLECT 1.43 2’ x 2’ glass + concrete c Heather Hancock
Reflect 1.61 alley 2’ x 2’ glass + concrete c Heather Hancock
I just started looking at new groupings of 20”x20” pieces and can see that I’ve been working on the ‘nature and city’ theme from different angles. Random moments and contrasts from the cityscape: nature and architecture, color and grayscale, information and noise, pristine surfaces and matte textures.
rendering | ENCODE 3.21 REFLECT 6.3 each 20” x 20” | glass + concrete c Heather Hancock
These pieces can work as singles, diptychs, triptychs and grids. Super versatile.
urbanVINE 3.4 | reflect 6.4 | reflect 6.3 | grow 5.1 c Heather Hancock
encode 3.19 | reflect 6.4 | encode 3.40 | reflect 5.1
rendering REFLECT 6.5 | ENCODE 3.18 | ENCODE 3.40 each 20” x 20” glass inlay w concrete textures c Heather Hancock 2023
encode 3.14 | reflect 6.3 | urbanVINE 3.4 | encode 3.8 c Heather Hancock
encode 3.22 | Reflect6.3 | encode3.21 | encode 3.40 c Heather Hancock
grow 5.1 | reflect 6.4 | encode 3.39 | encode 3.8 c Heather Hancock
urbanVINE 3.4 | reflect 5.1 | reflect 6.4 | encode 3.40 c Heather Hancock
VISTA: grassland 14@6.5’ x 2.5’ 225SF glass inlay w concrete c Heather Hancock 2024
This project started a couple of years ago as part of planning for a new construction healthcare facility. The clients wanted a contemporary approach to landscape. Something for a 2 story wall in a light filled atrium. The composition needed to be abstract and color-forward for viewing from a distance and then offer smaller details to engage viewers closer up. The panels will hang behind an architectural staircase giving viewers a chance to move past the work.
Seven vertical panels in layered, shimmering greens evoke rolling grasslands, punctuated by playful pops of foliage. Iridescent glass woven throughout the composition catches the light, shifting and shimmering as viewers move past. A bold black Kentucky horse fence curves into the distance, its structured form providing a striking contrast to the organic, flowing landscape. The piece offers a contemporary take on nature, blending movement, texture, and depth into a visually dynamic experience.
2A c Heather Hancock 2024
2B c Heather Hancock 2024
An early design phase included a couple round of revisions and edits. A hand held sample helped ‘explain’ glass and concrete and light.
The fabrication phase took ~10 weeks start to finish with frames constructed first and then panels completed in pairs over the next 7 weeks.
Panels weigh between 41lbs and 45lbs (2.6 - 2.8 lbs PSF). Ordinarily I would install a metal cleat prior to thinsetting for a secure hanging. In this case, the installers want to connect the 2 pieces for hanging. Bolts were full integrated into the pieces for installers to connect to a backer board to hang vertical paired pieces.
front face 1/8” trim
edge 1 3/16 annodized aluminum
Edges are a clean 1 3/16” anodized aluminum with a 1/8” metal outline on the face of the panel. I omitted the trim between the 2 vertically stacked panels for continuous imagery.
front face 18” trim edge | “ready to hang edged panel”
Finally got in to take pix of this lovely hanging in an Evanston Airbnb near St Francis. A totally fab fresh space (for rent here: https://airbnb.com/h/historicsouthevanston).
Encode | each 20” x 20” glass inlay with concrete texture and paint c Heather Hancock 2024
Encode | each 20” x 20” glass inlay with concrete texture and paint c Heather Hancock 2024
Encode | 20” x 20” glass inlay with concrete texture and paint c Heather Hancock 2024
Encode | 20” x 20” glass inlay with concrete texture and paint c Heather Hancock 2024
It’s been a busy 6 weeks in the studio working on a multi-panel 220SF lobby installation. 14 panels each 6.5’ h x 2.5’ w (~16SF) will be installed on a feature wall behind the reception desk and central architectural staircase in a new construction healthcare facility. I have 4 panels to finish with these lush layered greens.
WIP | VISTA: grassland 14 panels at 6.5’ x 2.5’ glass inlay with concrete c Heather Hancock 2023
WIP | VISTA: grassland 14 panels at 6.5’ x 2.5’ glass inlay with concrete c Heather Hancock 2023
WIP | VISTA: grassland 14 panels at 6.5’ x 2.5’ glass inlay with concrete c Heather Hancock 2023
rough snapshots of completed panels…taking shape!!! c Heather Hancock 2024
Looking back through 2023 projects to find the themes and ongoing questions…
URBAN RHYTHMS
beauty in the everyday
…clean line and repetition
…looking up perspectives
…shadow and light, surface and dimension
…information fragments
…nature + concrete
ENCODE 3.40 | REFLECT 6.3 | ENCODE 3.42 handcut glass + concrete + paint each 20” x 20” c Heather Hancock 2023
REFLECT 4.8 triptych | hand cut glass + concrete each 32”x32” c Heather Hancock 2023
REFLECT 4.9 urban rhythm diptych | hand cut glass + concrete each 2.5’ x 2’ c Heather Hancock 2023
NATURE with a GRAPHIC TWIST
nature through an ‘urban lens’
…approaching nature’s infinite complexity using urban inspired clean line and hard edges
Grow 5.1 hand cut glass + concrete + paint 20” x 20” c Heather Hancock 2023
urbanVine hand cut glass + concrete + paint 5@2’x2’ c Heather Hancock 2023
glasswall 01 hand cut glass + concrete + paint 4’x1.5’ c Heather Hancock 2023
VISTAS with TEXTURE + SHIMMER
new ideas for big views. landscapes and cityscapes.
…foregrounding tiny things against monumental things
…painted backgrounds
…bold contrasts in texture and shine
VISTA: CO hand cut glass + concrete + paint 2 @ 4’ x 2’ c Heather Hancock 2023
VISTA: Chicago hand cut glass + concrete + paint 3 @ 4’x2.5’ c Heather Hancock 2023
VISTA: prairie hand cut glass + concrete + paint 2.5’ x 5.5’ c Heather Hancock 2023
A recent RFQ called for a mood board …and it was super fun to pull together inspo and relevant sketches. I’m going to make use of this format this year. New relationships and directions always emerge from pulling together inspo and sketches and art pieces. Also. This RFQ reminded me that I really want to see work fabricated in other materials and formats. Step one is cutting in paper + vinyl as a quick way to test new ideas.
Loved getting installation images of new grouping of urbanVine pieces. Geometric foliage in crisp white glass pops against the weathered urban concrete background with layering and textures, etching and embossing. A subtle touch of color was worked into this series. Every time I come back to this it evolves in a good a new way.
urbanVine 4.2 5@ 2’ x 2’ glass inlay, concrete, paint c Heather Hancock 2023
detail | urbanVine 5@24”x24” hand cut glass + concrete c Heather Hancock 2023
detail | urbanVine 5@24”x24” hand cut glass + concrete c Heather Hancock 2023
detail | urbanVine 5@24”x24” hand cut glass + concrete c Heather Hancock 2023
urbanVine 4.2 5@ 2’ x 2’ glass inlay, concrete, paint c Heather Hancock 2023
detail | urbanVine 5@24”x24” hand cut glass + concrete c Heather Hancock 2023
detail | urbanVine 5@24”x24” hand cut glass + concrete c Heather Hancock 2023
urbanVine 4.2 5@ 2’ x 2’ glass inlay, concrete, paint c Heather Hancock 2023 photo credit Forrest Scott
urbanVine 4.2 5@ 2’ x 2’ glass inlay, concrete, paint c Heather Hancock 2023 photo credit Forrest Scott
This REFLECT diptych is installed in a Manhattan financial services firm, serving as a videoconference background for the executive team. I love it opposite this black and white photography…urban rhythm meets nature’s complexity.
REFLECT 4.9 urban rhythm 2.5’ x 2’ hand cut glass + concrete c Heather Hancock 2023
detail REFLECT 4.9 urban rhythm 2.5’ x 2’ hand cut glass + concrete c Heather Hancock 2023
detail REFLECT 4.9 urban rhythm 2.5’ x 2’ hand cut glass + concrete c Heather Hancock 2023