Gals of Glazz - Laurel Kohut

This weeks Gal of Glazz is a little more close to home. I've known this lady for quite a while but I'd say this is the year I really got to know her properly. She's a bloody champ. She's the kind of person who would give you her right arm if you asked her nicely. Her name is Laurel Kohut!

Laurel has really just been my saviour this last six months. One of the toughest thing about moving back to Melbs from Adelaide, was who was I going to work with? Laurel and I started to share some sessions and work for each other, now we work together on a regular basis at least one day a week, more if one of us has jobs on or deadlines to meet. Like me, Laurel did her training at the Jam (we just missed each other in Adelaide!) for me this always speaks volumes on someones skills and work ethic. When it boils down to it, we have both been trained as glass blowers in the same way and it makes it so easy to work together. She knows how to bring a good jack heat, has that production hustle and pretty much is just an excellent person! She is a super skilled up glass blower, has been assisting Nick Wirdham for years, is the Ausglass president, a studio tenant at Blue Dog,  I could go on! For someone with such a long list of achievements behind her, she is what I would call a beautiful, humble lady. (she also has a rad dog that she brings to work everytime with her and now I think we are pals because I share my crackers with her...)

I feel really lucky for our paths to have crossed (the number of times this girl has saved my arse, "Laurel do you have any bronze I could borrow?") and there is no way I could have made it through these last months without her. So go make yourself a cup of tea and get to know this rad gal of glazz a little better...

Gals of Glazz

Tune in for 10

1.          Who are you and what do you do?

My name is Laurel Kohut, and I'm a glass artist from Melbourne, Victoria.

2.          What do you make?

My artwork is focussed around the idea of sentimental objects - things that people get attached to and have some sort of emotional investment. Recently I have been using the aesthetic forms of jewellery but increasing the scale to the point where they are non-functional. I like the viewer to be able to recognise and relate to the sculptural forms and hopefully engage in a dialogue regarding these sentimental things.

3.          Why do you make?

It's a curiosity I've had since I was a child. I always loved to paint, draw, stick things together, take things apart and rebuild things. I have always had an interest in objects too. I love antiques and the stories and history they have. I actually feel very privileged to be able to make objects for a living. I often wonder what kind of lives my objects have had once they venture out into the world..

4.          What’s you colour palette?

I like fresh, candy colours. Not too bright though! And I tend to mix different tones of the same colour.

5.          What’s your proudest achievement?

I think anytime you can look at a piece you have made and think 'I'm completely happy with that, there's nothing I would change if I could' - is a proud moment. (It doesn't happen to me very often as I'm very self critical!) Also, I just recently became a full time artist which has been a big scary step for me but also fulfilling.

6.          Hot or Cold?

I like it both ways!

I'm trained as a hot glass artist, but my work seems to come to life in the cold shop. I just love how you can completely change a blown glass object through cold working. 

7.          What’s your dream project?

I have so many!

Building my own hot shop, having more solo exhibitions, creating large scale installations and to be able to keep supporting myself through making glass.

8.          What’s your influences?

I am influenced by the material itself. I've never grown bored of glass.

I am also influenced by other objects and sculptures - not necessarily glass, but things that have a personal history or a story to tell.

Other artists who have influenced me are:

 Nick Wirdnam - who has a similar interest in objects but also creates and arranges his work with the most extraordinary sensibility.

 Nick Mount - who's methods of working glass have directly influenced my own.

Kristin McFarlene - her work really speaks to me on an emotional level.

9.          What’s coming up for you? Or what are you looking forward to?

I'm looking forward to blowing more glass with Amanda Dziedzic as my blowing buddy!

Currently I have lots of Christmas production work to make, but when I get through that I am hoping to continue working on a new body of exhibition work which revolves around the theme of time and the pocket watch. Stay tuned..!

10.      If you could only eat 3 foods for the rest of your life what would they be?

Sushi

Pad Thai

My dad's apple pie. 😀

(Laurel in her other natural habitat; the cold shop! One day when I'm rich and famous I am going to outsource all my cold working to Kristel Britcher in Adelaide and Laurel in Melbs, thats the dream!)

you can also check out her website here

thanks lozzle! xx

Crushed

I didn't know if I was going to publish this but here goes...

To say last week has been hard is an understatement. I have been in a stituation that I have never been in before. I feel like I have been hung out to dry, like I have been crushed down and what's worse, friends of mine have been bullied and harassed just for standing up for me. I't s a bit tricky to write about because social media is what got me in this situation in the first place. Man, social media, what a fucking minefield. So awesome and such a waste of time simutaneously. What started as a mistake, then a somewhat naiive and flippant reaction on my part, has been blown so far out of proportion that I don't know where to start. I don't want to get myself into trouble further but I also do not believe in being bullied. And I also believe that I have not done anything wrong.

I'm not going to name names, there isn't much point. I just want to talk about how this episode made me feel. It made me feel like fucking nothing. Like a glitch on the horizon as a much MUCH larger company set about to crush me like a bug. It made me question everything. How I run my practice, how I operate, what i value and how I project myself. How I project myself is honest. Amanda Dziedzic glass is exactly the same Amanda Dziedzic you will meet on the street. You know when I started to get a little more action I thought I had to change my voice. especially how I represented myself on this blog. I thought I had to be more "professional". That potential clients might read this. Kind of like I should tone it down. No more swearing, fewer gags, stick to the facts.... SNORE! I was like, fuck that, that is so boring, if I don't even want to read it, why the fuck is anyone else going to want to give me the time of day? So funny. What a muppet.

So i stuck to my voice. I stuck with what I knew and didn't try to be anyone else. It's only now in doing this that I see the risk in doing this. There's no buffer, what you see is what you get, but that also leaves me extremely vulnerable. There's nowhere to hide, I'm in the buff so to speak. So if you make a mistake and someone comes for you. Thats it. It's just you and now its personal and it hurts. So after this episode I've been left wondering if I made a mistake? Should I have left myself so in the open? But that's who I am, it's what i cherish in my practice. Be it for better or worse it is who I am. My glass is who I am. My voice as a maker is one that is honest and true. And now it feels as though I am doubting myself, and I hate that.

What really sucks about this situation is how dear friends of mine are being bullied and harassed for standing up for me. It's really awful. I thought the situation was resolved but it is just being dragged out. To me it speaks volumes of the company.

Gals of Glazz - Megan Stelljes

I met this lady when I was taking Karen Willenbrink-Johnsens class at Pilchuck and Megan was one of the TA's. Megan is a super fun and super talented lady. She was such a good TA, totally all over it and full of energy. She was also super lovely to give me a list of all the rad things to do in Seattle if I had the chance. I love her spirit and she seems like such a dedicated glass maker. I hope she makes it out to Australia so we can hang out and I can show her some of the good stuffs that we got! (she also has an excellent talent for dress ups, her costumes are off the hook!)

Here we go, meet Megan!

Gals of Glazz

Tune in for 10

Megan Stelljes

Who are you and what do you do?

I am a Tacoma, Washington, based glass artist.  I graduated with a BFA in glass forming from Emporia State University in 2009. After graduation I moved to the Pacific North West to pursue glass, working with and for friends making sculptural glass.  I love being a part of the Seattle area glass community.  I also own and operate my own small business making drink ware called Gray Sky Glassware.  (grayskyglassware.com)

What do you make?

I make sculptures based on my experiences in society.  As I evolve, the themes in my work follow.  My current body of work uses familiar objects to convey moods and feelings.  I have also been working with photographic decals.  Using old photos rolled up in the hot shop on bell jars. The bell jars are mostly empty with a cane drawing on the opposite side of the photo.  The drawing illuminates the dissonance between real life and expectations in the photo.  I love simple forms.  Often times my work has an almost child like or cartoon aesthetic.  I love the playfulness and the familiarity this aesthetic highlights. 

What’s your color palette?

Vintage Tupperware (pastels not 70’s) meets bright candy colors

Proudest Achievement?

I am most proud of being invited to be a Gaffer at Pilchuck Glass School.  Pilchuck has been such a special place for me.   I feel like it's the place where I grew up in the glass community.  I have worked there in many capacities and always dreamt of being a gaffer.  It is such a special and fun position. 

Hot or Cold?

HOT!

Dream Project?

My dream project is having the freedom to create a dream project.  As amazing as glass is, it is so financially limiting.  I hope to one day be able to support myself entirely through my own artwork.  That is my ultimate dream project.

Influences

Most of my influences in glass come from people I work with, or have learned from directly.  My first teacher outside of college was Karen Willenbrink-Johnsen.  She taught me so much of what I know today and am so thankful for my time with her.  She is such a pioneer.  Two of my favorite lessons from her are “It’s not done until it’s over done!” and “All that glitters is… we need more GLITTER!” Kelly O’Dell and Amanda Patenaude are sort of my spirit animals of glass influences.  These ladies are such treasures and have really showed the most important part of being an artist is sharing love and saying Yes Please!  They are both amazing artists as well as amazing women.  I have also recently been able to be a student of Amy Rueffert, Jen Elek and Netty Blair.  These ladies taught me so very much about working glass, art and life.  I feel like that is an interview in and of itself.  I guess the most important thing that draws me to these people is an overwhelming kindness and appreciation for those around them. My work is so reactive to my surroundings that my influences are from daily life as well as their artwork. 

What’s coming up for you?

In the spring I am fortunate enough to be a teaching assistant for Jen Elek and Jeremy Bert for a Penland School of Crafts concentration class.  I can’t wait.  I am also working on new products for the Gray Sky Glassware line.  Maybe even a new studio…

Three foods?

Cucumbers

Pizza

Beer? Does beer count as a food?

Thank you Megan! (And beer totally counts) If you want to check out more of Megan's work check her site here.

Gals of Glazz - Tegan Hamilton

Hey there friends, I have had a lot of stuff (thats putting it politely) going on recently, and it's making me think long and hard about a lot of it. But in the midst of it all I remember Gals of Glazz! Gals of Glazz makes me ridiculously happy to write about. It reconnects me with my joy. LAdies and glass! What's not to like about that? I also like it because it's not work for me. It's like a nice kind of distraction. An extra curriculum activity. (Makes me think of Rushmore and Max Fishers love of extra curriculum activities, beekeeping, fencing, theatre productions...I fucking love that movie, the scene with Bill Murray on the diving board, scotch in hand, ciggie dangling from his mouth...gold)

So today (night), I bring you Tegan Hamilton. Tegan went to the same Uni as me but was a couple of years above (I think?). Tegan is now living her dream, blowing glass in Seattle. You little ripper. This lady has ballz! I really admire that she went, you know what?, I want to blow glass and where better to do it than Seattle. I'm moving there. Amazing. I think it takes a courageous person to chase their dreams. So here you go, get to know her a little better:

Gals of Glazz

Tune in for 10

1.             Who are you and what do you do?

           

My name is Tegan Hamilton and I am an Australian glass artist living in Seattle, Washington, USA. I help other wonderful people make their work and make as much of my own work as I can!

2.             What do you make?

I make unique functional work which includes octopus inspired vessels and screen printed tumblers. I also make less functional work which is inspired by natural history and anatomy. My Masters work explored the relationship between medicine and art, and my more recent work looks at natural history in a broad manner. I love sculpting, blowing, printing and painting among other things.

3.             Why do you make?

I make because it warms my soul. I would be incomplete and not as happy in life if I weren't creating.

4.             What’s you colour palette?

I have a pretty subtle colour palette generally. I prefer one colour at a time and love transparent colours. The transparency of glass still fascinates me after 12 years.

5.             What’s your proudest achievement?

My proudest achievement is packing up two suitcases with no planned job or place to live and flying to Seattle to follow my dreams. It was so scary and in hindsight very brave!

6.             Hot or Cold?

Love the hot. There is nothing like the warmth of the furnace on your skin when gathering glass. However, warm and cold are integral to my processes.

7.             What’s your dream project?

My dream project is a mountain of time developing my own work.

8.             What’s your influences?

There are so many influences on my work. I take inspiration from the brilliant scientific illustrators like Vesalius, Henry Carter and Da Vinci. I'm inspired by natural history museums which capture the human fascination of collecting categorising and preserving the world around us. I'm also influenced by my glass peers and the glassblowers who came before me. I would not be where I am today without the 

9.             What’s coming up for you? Or what are you looking forward to?

I am currently involved in a glass holiday show at the Pilchuck Glass exhibition space in Seattle until the end of December (there will be a fun opening on the first Thursday of December) I also have a glass exhibition coming up in Melbourne in February, so I get to come home for that.

10.         If you could only eat 3 foods for the rest of your life what would they be?

Steak, green beans and dark chocolate!

Thanks for sharing with us Teges! 

You can check out more of her stuff here.