"Instead of seeing ordinary objects, artist Steve Klein says that he sees abstract images formed by light, objects, and space when he casts his eyes out onto a vista.

“I see a lot of drama in landscapes,” Klein says. “The raw natural landscape and environment, along with the sky, sea, and horizon line have inspired much of my current work.”

Southern California-based Klein has spent the past three summers studying and teaching at North Lands Creative Glass in Scotland, and he says that his Scottish experiences have had a profound effect on him.

“I’ve fallen in love with the city of Lybster and Caithness County—the landscapes, the sky, and the people,” he says. This love affair is evident in both his Lybster and his North Sea series, which are comprised of kiln-formed and blown pieces that convey an abstract interpretation of bales of straw scattered in fields, light and wind patterns on the water, the changing horizon line, and the grand sky. “The landscape is wonderfully carved by time and the harsh elements,” he says. “And the sky is big—overpowering and frequently changing.”