I used to paint in oils. Now I use a hammer.
I’m Oakley Richards, and I make pictures in Newcastle, NSW by cracking glass. Landscapes mostly: mountains, tree lines, still water. And portraits, by commission.
The glass is the same laminated safety glass used in shopfronts. Two sheets with a plastic layer between them, so when it breaks, it holds. Every white line you see is a fracture. There is no paint, no etching and no print. Shadows are simply the places I left alone.
It is slow and it can’t be undone. A strike that lands too hard sends a crack running across an hour of work, and the only fix is a new sheet. That is most of what I like about it.
Watch it happen
I film most pieces from first strike to last and post them on Instagram.
Living with a piece
Finished work is sealed and framed, so the surface is safe to touch and dust. It is still glass: heavier than a canvas and best hung on two fixings. Side light from a window or a lamp is what makes the cracks glow.