Interview with Squidglass

I'm an old hippie homesteader, now living in a small northwest USA city in an old bungalow with a lampworker, a lazy boy and five dogs. I work as a graphic designer at a small university, but have had many many jobs over the years... I've been a picture taker, a chocolate shaker, a print maker; a pooper scooper, a building super, a star trooper; a trail cutter, trained to mutter, a head butt-er; a burger cooker, a fish hooker, a tourist rooker; an airplane sweeper, a secret keeper, a dig deeper; a headline writer, a dirt fighter, a dog biter; a hand piler, a record filer, a time whiler; a card printer, a house renter, a car denter; a lie tamer, a lame gamer, a tree maimer; a cold caller, a pin baller, a pig waller; a space caser, a speed racer, a fact tracer.... Like that.

What is your professional background?

I have a BA in journalism, and worked as a copy editor at the region's worst daily newspaper until I realized that how the page looked was more interesting that what it said. Shallow, but true.

When and why did you start working with glass?

I've always had some arty-crafty thing going - printmaking, felting, ceramic tiles, tragic attempts at painting. But glass fusing sounded way cool and about 3 years ago I took a class at the school where I work. I sucked at it. Opening the kiln was not a joyous experience. I spent the whole term struggling to tame the material, trying to get it to do unglasslike things, producing truly hideous bowls and masks and lumps. Glass was so cool - why didn't it do what I wanted? It was incredibly frustrating, so, like a true masochist I repeated the class, and my friend from work, Tamara (Pollyfusia), signed up as well. (It's cool to have a glass buddy!) I still struggled to bend the glass to my will and control it completely, and the results still sucked. Of course, Tamara 'got it' from the beginning, and her stuff was lovely. I finally had some success when I started fusing elements for stained glass windows (another class). I fused up patterned sheets of glass, then cut them up and lead ed them into windows. I fused complex elements, like a dragon's face or a bat's body, then set them into windows. Then I started working small — making clay molds and casting glass shapes and faces, and making bug pendants. I struggled with ways to make the insect wings - tiny bits of irid glass were almost right. Did a lot of rummaging on the web, and came across Wally Venable's information about homemade decals on warmglass.com. Eureka, dragonfly wings! And suddenly, photos of my garden, pages from old books and silly squid sketches could all be fused into glass! An immense 'click' sound was heard 'round the world!

Tamara and I were making pendants and suncatchers and windows, and we rented a table at the local highland games as House of the Rising Squid. We bombed. But I didn't care — I was hooked on glass. (Wink wink — I can give you deep discounts on bagpipe pendants made for that show.) We still do one show together a year, but Etsy is my main thing now.

I finally figured out that the glass adds its own qualities and magic to a concept. You have to allow the glass to mess with your ideas a little bit. It's a collaboration. Now I count on it.

What inspires you in your art?

Old books. Nature. Color. Puns. Foolishness.

One word to best describe glass.

Color. Pure color. Everything else I've tried dilutes the color - ceramics always have a muddy element, and paint is pasty, but glass holds pure color. (Was that one word?)

Is your studio all that you want it to be?

My studio is half of an extra bedroom. It's warm, small, crowded, messy, and complete with little couches for lolling dogs. A studio with lots of storage and big tables would be great, but it's not happening.

Do you prefer music or quiet when you work?

Old Time Radio shows from www.otr.net. Fibber McGee, Speed Gibson, Rocky Jordan, Sam Spade... Or sometimes Parliament Funkadelic, Gogol Bordello, Live, Taj Mahal, The Godfathers, the Go-Betweens, Megadeth... Or KYRS community radio.

When you have worked on a really bad day with glass do you treat yourself to something special?

I back away from the glass table and sit quietly with a pup and some chocolate. Usually, though glass is a treat. It's what I do when I get home from work, before I go to work, all weekend. No, I'm not obsessed or anything. I could quit any time.

What about working with glass do you like the very best?

I like to work small, making jewelry (which is silly as I never wear it). And I like to make multiples, with variations in color and placement, like printmaking. I love to see a box full of pendants that are variations on a theme. And I love to discover a great old book full of cool images. And open the kiln and see something so goofy or amazing I have to laugh. And making up silly names for the pieces.

On the other hand which is your worst glass task?

Grinding, gluing bails, packaging, mailing. Ugh.

Can you give of a few words of wisdom?

Make what delights you, even if others think you are an impossible dork.

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