Glass Artists

Although I saw glassblowing once as a kid in the Greenfield Village historical museum, I always assumed that it was a simple utilitarian skill from the past. I had no idea they were glass artists until one of my friends happened to get into it. He had been looking for a way to express himself creatively for a while, and glass art seem to be it. He was a very physical, hands-on guy, and I think he liked the physicality of glass. He liked the toughness of it. He enjoyed working with fire, tongs, and his own breath to shape the art he was making.

The interesting thing about glass artists is that they tend to fall into opposite poles. A glass artist can either be a fine art glass sculpture type or someone into making utilitarian glass. There are very few people in the middle. Glass sculptures can get incredibly elaborate. They have complex forms, marbled appearances inside, and textures and shapes you wouldn't expect to be possible with the medium. Utilitarian glass can also be very beautiful, but it doesn't seem to have the same status as art glass. There is more of an emphasis on making a lot of decent-quality pieces than a few extraordinary ones as in art glass.

He actually went to a gathering of glass artists a few months ago. It was in Portland where I live, so he came and visited me while he was here. I had never realize what an extensive glass community there was, but he spent days and days visiting different galleries and going to demonstrations. We got to hang out a little bit while he was here, but mostly he was immersed in the world of glass artists. Because he hadn't been able to work in a glass workshop for awhile, it was good for him to be able to meet other glass artist types. He made connections and got the chance to talk shop which he hadn't been able to do for months.

He also showed me a few things while he was here. We went together to a few galleries showing glass artists from Portland and the Pacific Northwest. Some of it wasn't my thing, but some of it was truly spectacular. The way some of these glass pieces caught the light was absolutely breathtaking especially in the exhibits that were well curated. It definitely left me with a newfound respect for the glass arts.