Ballard's work focuses on the methodology of Lucid Dreaming and his sculptural glass pieces create a dialogue between the experiential nature of dreaming and our waking state. Over time he has created a lexicon of specific symbols and imagery.
 
Ballard says, "The pillow is a universally understood symbol of sleep and comfort, however in my work it becomes the duplicitous catalyst for the confusion of material reality. I often catch viewers poking the pillows until they are convinced that they are actually made of glass. An object that appears soft and conforming, in fact is hard and unforgiving. It is this experience which reasserts the surreal nature of dreaming and becomes the access point for further contemplation of the work."
 
Jeff Ballard earned a BFA in glass from the University of Illinois and has worked as a gaffer and designer in production studios across the country. In 2006, he relocated to Oregon, where he creates mixed-media assemblage sculptures. In 2013, Ballard was an artist in residence at North Lands Creative Glass in Scotland and the featured artist at the Museum of Glass, Tacoma. He has exhibited in Denmark, Finland, Germany, South Korea, and Turkey. Ballard has been involved with Pilchuck Glass School for the past nine years as a scholarship student and craftsperson in residence.

PILCHUCK GLASS SCHOOL
240 2nd Ave S #100
Seattle, WA 98109
United States
+1 206-621-8422
pilchuck.com