JOEL LONGENECKER

ARTIST STATEMENT - WEATHERGLASS SERIES:

These prints, created during the coldest and snowiest winter in memory (2026), serve as a modern-day weatherglass, similar to the 19th-century device used to predict the weather. The original weatherglass consisted of a mysterious mixture of liquids sealed within a transparent 

glass. As these liquids mixed, settled, and crystallized, it was believed they reflected changes in temperature, atmospheric pressure and moisture. A clear liquid indicated sunny days, while a cloudy glass foretold rain. The presence of small dots suggested humidity and fog, and shimmering crystal stars signaled stormy weather.

Much like the liquids, poured and sealed into the weatherglass, the inks, solvents, and oils I used in the printmaking process were pressed and sealed into the smooth, translucent paper. I want my prints to evoke the same mystery and wonder as the weatherglass, allowing for interpretation through the blending of fluids, colors, and movement. My goal is to capture the unpredictability of nature and weather—it’s flux and flow, it’s forces and pressures. I envision this body of work changing and evolving from one print to the next; one may be clear and sunny, while another appears grey and foggy. I want them to change from minute to minute, like the sun breaking through the clouds. I want them to change like a weatherglass. 

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