How do you draw inspiration from nature?
It’s difficult not to – nature has done so many things exquisitely. Whether it’s the connection point flowing together for two pieces of glass or a larger, more powerful concept being translated, there are so many examples of highly refined processes and shapes. It’s incredible to see what natural selection has determined after all those years. While most of my work doesn’t literally translate or attempt to mimic nature, I think that there are many subtle cues taken from it. I’ve always loved the way nature handles its color and transitions or contrasts between them. Most recently and perhaps most noticeable within my work, I saw geysers first-hand for the first time in my life. Their raw power and the display they put on is magnificent! Since then I’ve been playing with similar effects and the potential for displaying that power within my functional work.
What pushes you to create new mind melting designs?
What’s the point of creating if you just make the same thing as everybody else? I wasn’t drawn by or interested in the ability to remake things that have already been made – I much prefer to attempt to make things in a different light. I was drawn by the potential to put my own spin on things. All the designs I make seem to come from seed questions, and the finished pieces are in their own way an answer to the question asked. The answers are always evolving – I don’t feel constrained by the way I’ve done things in the past. Next time I make that style I can mix things up. That freedom is one of my favorite things about glass – it’s incredibly easy to try out new proportions or shapes within designs. Nothing has to be like it was before, I don’t have to remake a mold or rewrite a program to get different shapes for new parts. There’s an amazing amount of freedom within this medium.
