ONE WILD AND PRECIOUS LIFE
ONE WILD AND PRECIOUS LIFE
2025
Cast Bronze,Limestone
W x D x H
18 in x 5 ft x 12 inches
Limited edition of 6
Laura Teste
I sculpted “One Wild and Precious Life” in memory of Albert Young, my mentor and an international glass artist who died in February 2025.
At the time, I was also reading “My Friends” by Fredrik Backman who quotes Mary Oliver’s poem repeatedly as a central theme on art, mortality, and human connection. That pretty much sums up the impact of Albert and my hope for the sculpture. This elegant figure with her blue patina is soaring in the air, poised to hold a garland of goals and passions. Rising and weightless, One Wild and Precious Life captures how Albert lifted others.
The figure’s long flowing train represents the long-lasting impact of one person on the world.
An edition of One Wild and Precious Life is on display for the next few years at the Kellogg Community College Foundation’s Art on Campus Triennial Outdoor Sculpture Exhibition (that’s a mouthful) here in Michigan.
ONE WILD AND PRECIOUS LIFE
There are rare souls that we come by,
A year has passed since he’s been gone.
I lack the words to say goodbye
Gruffly with grace, he pulled along.
Russell’s old brick upstairs foundry,
He gathered glass and our designs.
Marvered, rolled, & polished roundly.
A maker who stretched safe confines.
For Albert, young in tales regaled,
His jams of rock, rampant and rife,
We sought critiques, blunt and detailed.
A master’s one wild and precious life.
He came to craft with a big heart,
A mentor who fueled arts’ release.
He, who gave time, gave us his art,
Has cracked off his last masterpiece.
I sculpted “One Wild and Precious Life” in memory of Albert Young, my mentor and an international glass artist who died in February 2025. At the time, I was also reading “My Friends” by Fredrik Backman who quotes Mary Oliver’s poem repeatedly as a central theme on art, mortality, and human connection. That pretty much sums up the impact of Albert and my hope for the sculpture. This elegant figure with her blue patina is soaring in the air, poised to hold a garland of goals and passions. Rising and weightless, One Wild and Precious Life captures how Albert’s attention lifted others. The figure’s long flowing train represents the long-lasting impact of one person on the world.
An edition of One Wild and Precious Life is on display for the next few years at the Kellogg Community College Foundation’s Art on Campus Triennial Outdoor Sculpture Exhibition (that’s a mouthful) here in Michigan.