Glass as a portal of expression for me is an amazing process.
Recreating something that has already been designed by nature is an exercise. You can duplicate something perfectly and this shows your technical ability to work the craft of your chosen material. You can also admire and absorb all the gorgeous designs of Mother Nature’s production line and than create your own creations that are a result of everything you have seen. I enjoy the second process, which is like the type of music I enjoy listening to, something that I have never heard before. When I create a sculpted glass succulent it’s never been made before. Its color, pattern, shape and the energy I put into it are all one-of-a-kind and special. This particular Glass Academy product lines is one of my favorites and I will tell you why at the end of this blog.
I remember the first time I thought about a succulent being made from molten glass. My partner Michelle, the avid gardener that she is, made one. It was amazing and truly a breath of fresh creativity. She made a celadon green plant with a beautiful red along the outside edges of the petals. Then she stuck it in a pot of dirt, like it was going to grow. It held a spot in our office at the studio for quite some time and eventually it really caught my eye. Usually when something like this catches my eye that means I want to technically perfect it as a product and as a piece of art.
I started making glass succulents and they very quickly grew into something much more elaborate and detailed than the little celadon green one Michelle made several years ago. This was the begging of the “Fleur De Venice “ series. Each of these creations were individual but part of a sculptural species of glass plants that we both fell in love with. We made a lot of these pieces, and by a lot I mean 20 at the most. That’s because they were very involved and commanded a much higher price point than the Glass Academy’s present day succulents. They sold from $3,500.00 to $5,800 each.
Michelle & I as artists and entrepreneurs, move onto new ideas often and leave some behind. Even when they’re selling it doesn’t matter because we want to create new things to express ourselves. That being said the “Fleur De Venice” was laid dormant and we moved on to other ideas and designs. Speed forward another 10 years and we have a spring garden show and want to produce garden products that reflect the styles and trends of this time period. We also want to produce a design that is affordable but still a sculpture in its own right. The Glass Academy succulent series is developed.
Just like all of our seasonal product lines, the succulent develops each year and becomes more established and more perfected as its own type of glass plant. So the answer to the last part of your question is yes, each succulent made at the Glass Academy is a piece of production sculpture.
The reason this particular production design is one of my favorites is simple, my wife and business partner Michelle made the first one, and that’s the one that put the sparkle in my eye and fed my creative process.
1 comment
Very sweet!