Glassblowing is a fascinating artform. For those of us in the product development world it’s akin to blow-molding. Yet, the process of blowing glass holds more intrigue and an element of danger. Also as a medium, it more eloquently showcases the human touch. Instead of yielding myriads of homogeneous end products, hand-blown glass enables artisans like Scott Slagerman to make each piece unique.
Scott Slagerman at his studio in LA has been exploring using various species of hardwood to shape the molten glass. While these wooden molds aren’t durable enough to make hundreds of pieces, they perfectly serve Scotts aim to create a short-run sculptural series.
Wood & Glass Collection
Image Source : All Images Courtesy of Scott Slagerman Studio
Scott has teamed up with Jim Fishman who lends his expertise in woodworking. Jim harvests the wood that serves as both casting mold and sculpture display, from fallen trees.
The wood from freshly fallen trees is known as “green”, meaning it has a high moisture content. So Jim’s selection of such trees is done so with the understanding that it will afford Scott multiple attempts to shape the molten glass to perfection before the wood dries out enough to ignite.
The Process
Working together the men use a wide range of tools common to both glassblowing and woodworking. Through the processes of heat, air pressures, shaping, and cutting each pieces comes to life.
In the end, the collaborative craftsmanship effort yields a wood and glass collection that is truly stunning! Visit Scott’s Wood & Glass webpage to see the full series.
My takeaway? I love the fusion of materials. Also the exploration of using the wood to both process and display the glass is ingenious.
