The Turning Point
If you want to know more about my glass bio, please check out my website at the "Artist" page. Pretty much everything is there.
The significant turning point in my glass career was very much a serendipity. In 2001, I applied to go back to Penland to yet another glassblowing course. At Penland, there are a lot more applications than there are people accepted. The long and the short is that I did not get in. I was totally bummed, because my summers at Penland were my escape valve from the stress of my law career. Laura suggested that I apply to Pilchuck. Pilchuck Glass School is the "Harvard" of glass, and I never considered myself to be anywhere near that caliber. Anyway, the application deadline had already passed. Laura made me call out there anyway to inquire about any cancellations or openings. They told me they had an opening in a sandcasting class. I never considered sandcasting to be something that I would be interested in, but Laura, my muse and constant encourager, urged me to go. She probably felt it would be better than me moping around the house all summer.
I got out to Pilchuck and almost immediately had an epiphany. I had never been to Washington state before, and was captivated with the beauty of the Pilchuck campus and the entire aura of the place. My instructors were two terrific artists, Cathy Chase and Kelly McLain. Pilchuck, which was the brain child of Dale Chihuly, also had a very unique and wonderful custom of inviting two emminent artists from media other than glass. I was very fortunate to meet Italo Scanga. Itlalo was a preeminent mixed media artist and close friend of Dale Chihuly. At the time, he had just turned 70, but still full of energy and enthusiasm. We immediately hit it off.
Italo was on the faculty of University of California San Diego, and had done several important public sculpture projects all over the world.
I was so excited about Pilchuck, that when they announced an opening in a course in the following session, I volunteered Laura to fill it. I was only home a day or so before Laura had to leave to fly out to Seattle. A few days later I received a phone call from her telling me that Italo had suffered a fatal heart attack, while working in his studio back in San Diego. Please visit the Italo Scanga website to learn more about this amazing man and his work. All of what I do now in art is directly influenced by him. One of my favorite pieces is entitled "Homage to Italo" and can be seen on my website.
I got out to Pilchuck and almost immediately had an epiphany. I had never been to Washington state before, and was captivated with the beauty of the Pilchuck campus and the entire aura of the place. My instructors were two terrific artists, Cathy Chase and Kelly McLain. Pilchuck, which was the brain child of Dale Chihuly, also had a very unique and wonderful custom of inviting two emminent artists from media other than glass. I was very fortunate to meet Italo Scanga. Itlalo was a preeminent mixed media artist and close friend of Dale Chihuly. At the time, he had just turned 70, but still full of energy and enthusiasm. We immediately hit it off.
Italo was on the faculty of University of California San Diego, and had done several important public sculpture projects all over the world.
I was so excited about Pilchuck, that when they announced an opening in a course in the following session, I volunteered Laura to fill it. I was only home a day or so before Laura had to leave to fly out to Seattle. A few days later I received a phone call from her telling me that Italo had suffered a fatal heart attack, while working in his studio back in San Diego. Please visit the Italo Scanga website to learn more about this amazing man and his work. All of what I do now in art is directly influenced by him. One of my favorite pieces is entitled "Homage to Italo" and can be seen on my website.
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