Wesley Neal Rasko is a Canadian born glass artist currently residing in the Czech Republic. Having studied at Alberta college of Art and Design, Wesley has since exhibited his glass sculptures and paintings at galleries all over the world and most recently at the Bruno Massa Gallery in Paris. In this personal interview Wesley explains his creative process and how his work has been affected by cultural changes. He also shares the story of his near death experience and his ensuing life with epilepsy. ARTIST STATEMENTI fully believe a certain "luck factor" exists when working with glass; sometimes a piece turns out and others crack or break. Glass can be solid/liquid, can be formed using heat or through cold working processes. It is colorful, full of life, can be transparent or matte, and is the ultimate sculpting material. I embrace this uncertain nature of glass by transforming it into expressions of emotions and nature through swirling colors and awe-inspiring forms.The final hand-ground, polished pieces embody the contrasting characteristics of glass through their inclusion of textured and transparent sections and various colors interacting with one another. My pieces are composed of painted and laminated float glass, cast glass, optical crystal, and exotic stone.I strive to create provocative glass sculptures that showcase the flexibility and fluidity of glass while also accepting and adapting to its uncertain nature. This is my destiny in life; to create works of art that I am blown away in creating and thus I can only hope the viewer will have a similar reaction when they see my finished work. EDUCATION1998-1999 Alberta Collage of Art and Design1999-2000 Apprenticeship with Bohumil Eliaš. EXHIBITIONS2020 Art Boca Raton, Boca Raton, United States (group show)2020 Art Palm Beach, Palm Beach, United States (group show)2020 Palm Beach Modern + Contemporary, W. Palm Beach, U.S.A (group show)2019 CONTEXT Art Miami, Miami, United States (group show)2019 SOFA Chicago, Chicago, United States (group show)2019 Art Palm Springs, Palm Springs, United States (group show)2018 Edinburgh Art Fair, Edinburgh, Scotland (group show)2018 SOFA Chicago, Chicago, United States (group show)2018 Gallery Different, London, England (group show)2018 Art San Diego, San Diego, United States (group show)2018 Cambridge Art Fair, Cambridge, England (group show)2018 46th Int. Glass Invitational, Royal Oak, Unityed States (group show)2017 Art Palm Springs, Palm Springs, United States (group show)2017 FORM Miami, Miami, United States (group show)2017 Edinburgh Art Fair, Edinburgh, Scotland (group show)2017 SOFA Chicago, Chicago, United States (group show)2017 GlassWeekend, Millville, U.S.A (group show)2017 The Art and Antiques Fair Olympia London, England (group show)2017 Int. Art Fair Sevenoaks Sevenoaks, England (group show)2017 AAF Hampstead, London, England (group show)2017 Cena Galerie Nova Bratislava, Slovak Republic (group show)2017 Layered Up Invitational Norfolk, U.S.A (group show)2017 Chelsea Art Fair London, England (group show)2017 AAF Battersea London, England (group show)2017 Plateaux Gallery London, England (group show)2017 Art Palm Beach, West Palm Beach, U.S.A (group show)2016 IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT Konigswinter, Germany (group show)2016 Edinburgh Art Fair Edinburgh, Scotland (group show)2016 ART.FAIR Cologne, Germany (group show)2016 35th Anniversary Show Oisterwijk, Netherlands (group show)2016 Glass Fest Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic (group show)2016 SeeArt Tunbridge Wells, England (group show)2016 AAF Hampstead London, England (group show)2016 Chelsea Art Fair London, England (group show)2016 Art Breda Breda, Netherlands (group show)2016 AAF Battersea London, England (group show)2016 Abstract Expressions Salt Lake City, U.S.A (group show)2016 Palm Springs Fine Art Fair, Palm Springs, U.S.A (group show)2016 Art Palm Beach, West Palm Beach, U.S.A (group show)2015 IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT Konigswinter, Germany (group show)2015 PAN Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands (group show)2015 Edinburgh Art Fair, Edinburgh, Scotland (group show)2015 SOFA, Chicago, U.S.A (group show)2015 art silicon valley, San Mateo, U.S.A (group show)2015 Cambridge Art Fair, Cambridge, England (group show)2015 AAF New York, New York, U.S.A (group show)2015 GlassWeekend, Millville, U.S.A (group show)2015 AAF Hampstead, London, England (group show)2015 Etienne Gallery, Oisterwijk, Netherlands (solo show)2015 Int. Glass Invitational, Royal Oak, U.S.A (group show)2015 Art Breda Breda, Netherlands (group show)2015 New Chelsea Art Fair London, England (group show)2015 Original Voices Chicago, United States (group show)2015 AAF Battersea London, England (group show)2015 Color Break Bloomfield, Canada (group show)2015 AAF Brussels, Brussels, Belgium (group show)2014 CONTEXT Art Miami, Miami, U.S.A (group show)2014 IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT Konigswinter, Germany (group show)2014 PAN Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands (group show)2014 Edinburgh Art Fair, Edinburgh, Scotland (group show)2014 SOFA Chicago, U.S.A (group show)2014 AAF Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany (group show)2014 Cambridge City Art Fair, Cambridge, England (group show)2014 (e)merge art fair, Washington, U.S.A (group show)2014 Art Osaka, Osaka, Japan (group show)2014 SoHo Art Gallery Osaka, Japan (group show)2014 SEEART Fair Tunbridge Wells, England (group show)2014 Festival of Art Glass Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic (group show)2014 AAF Hampstead London, England (group show)2014 Ningbo Museum of Art Ningbo, China (group show)2014 Select Art Fair New York, U.S.A (group show)2014 Toronto Art Expo Toronto, Canada (group show)2014 AAF New York, New York, U.S.A (group show)2014 New Chelsea Art Fair London, England (group show)2014 OENO Gallery Bloomfield, Canada (group show)2014 AAF Battersea London, England (group show)2014 Sheridan Russell Gallery London, England (group show)2014 Artist Project Toronto, Canada (group show)2014 SALON Zelezny Brod, Czech Republic (group show)2014 AAF Brussels, Brussels, Belgium (group show)2014 Habatat Galleries West Palm Beach, U.S.A (group show)2013 PAN Amsterdam Amsterdam, Netherlands (group show)2013 AAF Hamburg Hamburg, Germany (group show)2013 CUTLOG Paris, France (group show)2013 AAF Battersea London, England (group show)2013 Galerie bruno massa Paris, France (group show)2013 Toronto Outdoor Art Exhibition Toronto, Canada (group show)2013 Festival of Art Glass Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic (group show)2013 AAF New York, New York, U.S.A (group show)2013 Amarynth Gallery Toronto, Canada (group show)2013 Art Shanghai Shanghai, China (group show)2013 Toronto Art Expo Toronto, Canada (group show)2013 AAF Brussels, Brussels, Belgium (group show)2012 PAN Amsterdam Amsterdam, Netherlands (group show)2012 AAF Amsterdam Amsterdam, Netherlands (group show)2012 Zelezny Brod Glass Exhibitiom Zelezny Brod, Czech Republic (solo show)2012 ARTi Den Haag, Netherlands (group show)2011 Etienne Gallery Oisterwijk, Netherlands (group show)2012 Levenat Art Gallery Shanghai, China (group show)2012 Festival of Art Glass Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic (group show)2011 Festival of Art Glass Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic (group show)2011 Toronto Outdoor Art Exhibition Toronto, Canada (group show)2011 AAF Brussels, Brussels, Belgium (group show)2010 AAF Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands (group show)2010 Festival of Art Glass Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic (group show)2010 AAF Paris, Paris, France (group show)2010 Zelezny Brod Glass Exhibitiom Zelezny Brod, Czech Republic (group show)2010 Monaco Art Show Monte Carlo, Monaco (group show)2010 AAF Brussels Brussels, Belgium (group show)2010 Moscow International Art Salon Moscow, Russia (group show)2010 Ronen Art Vision Amsterdam, Netherlands (group show)2010 Galerii Slovenskej Vytvarnej Unie Bratislava, Slovak Republic (group show)2009 Montreal Art Expo Montreal, Canada (group show)2009 Jean Claude Chapelotte Galerie Luxembourg, Luxembourg (group show)2009 Internationale Glaskunstbeurs Leerdam, Leerdam, Netherlands (group show)2009 Toronto Art Expo Toronto, Canada (group show)2009 Galerie MY Jablonec nad Nisou, Czech Republic (group show)2008 Toronto Outdoor Art Exhibition Toronto, Canada (group show)2008 Plateaux Gallery London, England (group show)2008 ARTETIK Bratislava, Slovak Republic (group show)2008 Galerie Na Rynku Zelezny Brod, Czech Republic (group show)2008 Sandra Ainsley Gallery Toronto, Canada (group show) COLLECTIONSAchilles Foundation Hamburg, Germany (public)Fort Wayne Museum of Art, United States (public)Ernsting Foundation Wiesbaden, Germany (public)Muskegon Museum of Art Muskegon, United States (public)Museums Vledder Vledder, Netherlands (public)Katsuhisa Suzuki Tokyo, Japan (private)Addi Ryckaert Schoten, Belgium (public)Gangtai Museum of Shanghai Shanghai, China (public)