Artist Statement
I am a retired nuclear weapons engineer who meandered into stained glass for a functional reason and more recently into warm glass. I am not really a glass artist but I am studying the processes and techniques associated with creating warm glass art. The creative process is intriguing but very elusive for me. Building a plate or a bowl is mechanics, but it’s still satisfying. .A major metamorphosis is required for me to transform from a glass mechanic into a glass artist. I am inspired by the members of the Glass Art Guild of Utah and their generosity in sharing their artistic talents and encouragement.
What I most enjoy about working in glass is the peacefulness and quietude, the things that you get sometimes that you don’t expect, and the constant learning process.
I enjoy the sensation of working with warm glass, the colors and textures of the glass, and seeing the final created object. Warm glass elicits a subliminal passion that permeates the soul. A friend of mine, Chi Fan Chen, suggested that ‘simplicity is truth’; when I start to actually create ‘art’ that will probably be my direction.
I’ve been inspired by warm glass artists whose tutorials I’ve enjoyed on the Internet and whom I’ve exchanged emails with. Inspiration has also come from the Navajo culture, the Japanese cold glass artist Ichiro Tashiro (who makes light boxes), and from the incredible work of Dan Cummings.
Art is in the eye of the beholder. For me it must be pleasing to the eye and connecting to the soul. When I look at the images in the universe captured by the Hubble telescope I think of this as the ultimate art.
Charlie can be reached at Short-Fuse Glass, 801-244-8033, or by email: bcharles27@msn.com.
