The Glass Blowers

Our goal here at FOL, is to provide inspiration. As a novice artist, my greatest admiration goes to people who have made their art their life. How can we hope to inspire people with that kind of dedication and experience? By exposure, that's how! Any place where artists gather and appreciate each other is productive for all.  With that in mind, I have invited a friend to serve as guest blogger for us today.  I met Theresa, appropriately enough, at a photography workshop and we have been shooting together ever since. Theresa works hard at her craft, and she never passes up a chance to experience art. I'll let her take it from here. Welcome Theresa!

Into the Fire

What are you passionate about? I recently had the opportunity and privilege of photographing  a glass blowing exhibition. It was a demonstration hosted by their venue, Studio 7 in Bernardsville, NJ. (http://www.studio7artgallery.com/html/gallery.html) The glass blowers are all master craftsmen and well recognized artists. As I watched and photographed these amazing people creating, it occurred to me that there is a parallel among all artists.

Doug Merritt
vandermarkmerrittglass.com

Doug Merritt is a master glass blower who specializes in creating art glass by fusing glass rods into a blown piece of glass, creating the look of embedded flowers. Doug has been working with glass for over forty years and his pieces can be seen in The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Wheaton Museum of American Glass, The Smithsonian Institute, and  many private collections.

Cody F. Nicely
www.codynicely.com

Cody Nicely is a young man who first developed an interest in art glass at the age of thirteen, when his aunt took him to Murano, Italy. He is touted as one of Knoxville's hottest emerging artists. Cody creates sculptures of aquatic life from glass and each one is unique. His work is featured in galleries around the country.

Jake Pfeifer

Jake Pfeifer is a budding art glass artist who also developed an interest in glass blowing at a very young age. Jake fuses glass rods to create interesting designs that he then molds into vases and bowls.  He has studied with Doug Merritt. and Studio 7 displays his work.

Each of these men takes the same material and makes it his own. Each of these individuals had to have the finished product in their minds' eye. Each had to have knowledge of their tools and techniques, which they had spent years perfecting. Most importantly, each of these men have a passion for what they do, and it shows.

That is what I believe we do as photographers. If you have ever gone out shooting a location with other photographers, you know what I mean. You can have five people standing side by side shooting  the same subject and you will leave with five different interpretations. Along my path to learning photography, I also have discovered the benefit of pre-visualizing the photograph before I take it, of learning my camera and other equipment in order to render the photograph that I am after. I too am spending many hours learning, practicing and perfecting my technique.

I walked away from this experience with a renewed appreciation for the value of passion. I am passionate about photography and this passion leads me to continually push myself out of my comfort range and beyond the boundary of just taking a photograph - I am learning the making of a photograph.

So ask yourself,  "What am I passionate about," 

and then pursue it.

Theresa Hood

THood Photography