Glass Paintings
What can glass do that canvas can't?
In this series, A.LaB treats glass as more than a surface to paint on. Transparency, reflection, shadow, and even the space behind the artwork become part of the composition. Figures can appear suspended, painted forms can cast real shadows, and the physical material can become part of the story itself.
Each work begins with an idea, then uses the unique qualities of glass to push that idea beyond the painted image. The result blurs the boundary between painting, object, and the environment surrounding it.
IN Case of Emergency
18" × 24" | Acrylic on Glass
In Case of Emergency turns the familiar “break glass” instruction into part of the artwork itself. Born from the frustration of watching people remain passive in the face of injustice, and from not always knowing where to put that frustration, the piece channels that tension into a boxer who appears to punch through the glass. The real cracked surface extends the action beyond the painted image, making the material itself part of the emotional release and blurring the line between representation and action.
Wedding Portrait
11" × 14" | Acrylic on Glass
This glass painting captures a newlywed couple whose composition was inspired by a reading from their wedding about two lives becoming intertwined forever. Small visual Easter eggs woven throughout the piece reference details meaningful to the couple, while the transparent negative space allows light and the wall behind the work to become part of the composition, giving the figures and flowers a floating, almost dimensional quality.
HOmesick
16" × 20" | Acrylic on Glass
Homesick was born from missing Chicago and thinking about the symbols that still feel like home. A.LaB reimagines the familiarity of the Bulls through the visual language of the Southwest, turning a symbol of one home into something that can exist within another. Painted on glass and suspended within the frame, the skull casts a real shadow on the wall behind it, adding dimension while reflecting the larger idea of carrying one identity into a new environment and learning how both can coexist.