8.8.12

I could really use some glass right now.

Glass is the one medium of art I still feel I can connect with.
It's the only one where I can just do, as opposed to fear doing. Which is ironic in a sense considering it's one of the most fragile, expensive, detail extensive and at times, most painful forms out there. In any other medium I have this starters anxiety where I'm terrified of making a mistake so I just waste a good amount of time drawing and erasing... Glass is different in the sense that it is all time based. You have to jump into it head first or you'll never be able to make anything. I kind of like that forced motivation...

Glass is so fluid and amazing. As the artist, my only job is to shape it into something beautiful, but glass does as glass wants. It's elasticity is only as good as my skill of manipulation.
Glass is about down to the wire decision making, as I am fully familiar with the fact that the difference of one second can be the difference from a beautiful creation and the entire piece you just slaved over literally exploding into thousands of shards. But that is glass. Things break, a lot, and you get burned, more often. C'est la vie.

I miss the energy of the studio. Glass students and instructors working together to help each other succeed in their visions. Regardless of your class rank and experience in the medium, everyone would do anything they could to help you succeed. And the second the piece successfully came off the punty everyone would explode with cheers. It was awesome. I had the most inspiring art instructor, to date, in that class too. Joel fucking O'Dorisio. Wow. What a man. I've never encountered a more down-to-earth, helpful, hilarious and exquisitely creative person. I had him before for a 3D foundations class and I could appreciate him then, but experiencing him in his own element in glass was just awe-striking. He was incredible.

A few pieces I made during the semester...









If the opportunity to experiment in glass blowing ever arrises for you, I cannot endorse it enough. It is without a doubt one of the most incredible experiences out there.


A link to Joel's page follows. The man is a genius.
http://www.mostlyglass.com/Artists/odorisio/odorisio_d_m/odorisio_dm_page.htm

2 comments:

  1. Where's my photo credit, bettttchhh?

    ReplyDelete
  2. I'll give you your photo credit right here, betch.

    FIRST THREE PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE GREAT KAIT WHITMORE.

    ReplyDelete