Josh Rodine

I am the sole creator of each of the glass vessels and sculptures on display. They are blown and/or sculpted from borosilicate glass on a special torch using a process called flamework. By utilizing a torch, I can achieve much more control and detail than with traditional glassblowing.

First I start with a section of clear glass tubing, which I rotate in the flame of the torch until it is molten. Once sufficiently heated to about 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit, I roll it in powdered color glass to form a basecoat of color. After a few coats of powder, I use various techniques to form patterns, which could be taking glass color rods and "drawing" on the glass or taking shards of glass and "pasting" them onto a piece. There are a multitude of techniques, some very ancient dating back to the Egyptians and Romans, and some more recently developed in the Pacific Northwest. The piece is then blown and/or sculpted and placed in a hot kiln to anneal. After they have cooled, the last step is a sandblasting process, which finely etches the surface of the glass resulting in a soft, matte finish.

My primary inspiration is nature. Ever since I was a little boy growing up in the woods of southwestern Oregon, I have been fascinated with the Earth and its many wonders. I try to imitate its organic patterns, colors and form. I seek to explore our complex relationship as humans with our planet. Glass, consisting primarily of the most common element on Earth - silica, is a remarkable medium to capture the gracefulness, fluidity and flow that surrounds us and I feel lucky to work with it.