Artist Christopher Ries and his Bouquet of Light

“It is with well-thought planning Christopher Reis is the opening artist for this historic occasion at Misericordia University’s new art gallery,’’ said Brian J. Benedetti, gallery director. “The art of Mr. Ries is like that of no other and shall leave a lasting impression on individuals that experience it.’’

The two-month exhibit will feature a myriad of original pieces ranging in size, scope and color. The gallery is open Monday through Thursday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 1-5 p.m. It is closed Friday.

“Glass is the essential material which gathers, focuses, reflects, refracts, amplifies, filters and transmits light,’’ Ries said, describing his sculptures that are on display around the world in art galleries, museums and in private, public and corporate collections. “I use these special light-altering abilities to create a kind of optical poetry.

“We are living in the age of photonics, where heretofore, theoretical knowledge of electromagnetic radiation (light) is now being transformed into practical life changing applications. My work is a tangible symbol of this time,’’ he added.

Unlike many artists who work with glass, Ries is not limited by size. The size of his sculptures does not affect the quality, but it does heighten the impact of the quality. The larger the piece, the greater the impact it has on its setting, according to the artist. His pieces transcend his limitless, creative talents and vision. Similar artists’ pieces are rarely larger than three feet in any direction, but Ries oftentimes sculpts contemporary works that are two feet or more in one direction, like his “Moonstone,’’ “Opposing Views,’’ “Clear Flame,’’ “Copper Cove,’’ “Victory,’’ “Motion,’’ and “Chevron 1” sculptures.

Ries and his team create works that weigh between 200 and 2,000 pounds. Six years ago, he created, “Opus,’’ a disc-shaped sculpture weighing 1,476 pounds and spanning nearly four feet. He “communicates truth and beauty’’ through his sculptures by using near flawless glass blocks from Schott Glass Technologies in Duryea to create “an absolute engagement between the object and its setting because the optical glass contains and reflects the colors, shapes and movements throughout every axis of its environment,’’ Ries said.

Most artists working with glass melt it down and cast it for form, but Ries takes Schott’s solid blocks of crystal and sculpts it like an artist working with traditional marble or even wood before polishing it over and over again. “My work celebrates the awe-inspiring beauty and intellectual wonder of glass,’’ the artist said.

Born and raised on a farm in Ohio, the rural Tunkhannock resident has a unique working relationship with the international company, Schott Glass Technologies, as an Artist-in-Residence. The local facility provides free glass and support for a percentage of his commissions and recognition wherever his sculptures are displayed. Today, Ries is represented in dozens of art galleries and displayed in collections from Mainz, Germany to Los Angeles, Calif., and Tokyo, Japan to Pittston, Pa. He also participates in annual group exhibitions as far away as the Netherlands and as close as Scranton, Pa.

His career and sculptures have been recognized by many in the art world. “The compelling beauty of Christopher Ries’ glass sculptures gives an eloquent expression to the ideals of excellence,’’ said Sondra Myers of the National Endowment for the Arts. Irvin J. Borowsky, founder of the National Liberty Museum in Philadelphia, said, “His work is timeless,’’ while James Yood, professor of contemporary art theory and criticism at Northwestern University, described his work this way: “This is an art of such suggestiveness and finesse, of ceaseless transition and surprise that it constitutes one of the most intriguing exercises in the poetics of optics anywhere in contemporary art.’’

Ries earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in ceramics and glass from Ohio State University and founded OSU’s glass department. As an undergraduate student, he became the department’s first instructor. He also received a Master of Fine Arts in glass from the University of Wisconsin, Madison. During his career, he has received numerous awards, including the Aid to Individual Artists Fellowship from the Ohio Arts Council, the Ohioana Citation for Distinguished Service to Ohio in the Field of Art, the Distinguished Artist Award from the University of the Arts, Philadelphia, Pa., and the National Liberty Museum in Philadelphia named him the Artist as Hero in 2005.

For more details about Ries and his work, please log on to www.christopherries.com. For more information about the grand opening of the Pauly Friedman Art Gallery at Misericordia University, please call Dona Posatko, gallery curator, at (570) 674-6250 or log on to www.misericordia.edu. Beginning Aug. 22, gallery hours are 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday; closed Friday; and Saturday and Sunday, 1-5 p.m.

Misericordia University’s Pauly Friedman Art Gallery occupies more than 2,700 square feet of space on the second floor of Insalaco Hall. The multipurpose gallery will be used for performing arts as well as visual arts, and will have a portable stage that can be used for small musical performances and poetry readings. The gallery also features a surround sound system, motorized blackout shades, three types of track lighting and a bamboo floor. A custom-designed storage area will double as a small theater for short, creative films produced and directed by Misericordia students.

The gallery staff is working closely with Misericordia faculty to provide an academic component to exhibits bringing in installations that coincide with course material students are studying.