Two Auckland glass artists have embraced the challenges of working in such an exacting medium and delight in making beautiful classic forms that are still highly functional and become a part of people’s everyday lives.
There’s a primal energy behind the technique of glass blowing – the red hot furnaces, the glowing orbs of molten glass, the entrancing blend of alchemy and creativity that results in powerful yet fragile objects that seem to defy the laws of nature.
Glass artists Stephen Bradbourne and Isaac Katzoff are masters at manipulating the process of making beautiful glass objects, having spent decades in glass studios refining their skills, whether it’s the rigorous two-man operation of blowing their distinctive orb-shaped pendant lights, or working on their own distinctly different personal pieces.
Both men came to the world of glass through different routes — Bradbourne after training in glass and ceramics at Auckland’s Carrington Polytechnic, and Katzoff after completing a degree in fine arts and art history in his native America — but both are united in their desire to create delicate decorative objects that are also functional and frequently used.
They share a similar aesthetic and joined to work together at Monmouth Street Glass Studios in Auckland’s Arch Hill seven years ago. They completed a mammoth move of their studio last year, swapping the old premises with its gritty Dickensian aura for a light-filled, vastly larger space in the west Auckland suburb of Henderson.
Newly settled in a huge hangar-style space, they have acquired extra furnaces, enlisted some part-time help in production and opened a retail store in Grey Lynn.
There’s a desire to underline beauty with pure simplicity in everything that they make, creating clean shapes with classic forms that have a design ethos that’s strong enough to endure the passage of time.
A light-bulb moment for Bradbourne was when he went to a glass workshop in Australia and was exposed to Italian glass techniques. “I’m a huge admirer of some of the big old studios like Venini and their early mid-century glass work really caught my eye. The murrine technique really captivated me. It’s very involved, labour intensive and quite indulgent really but it’s the only way to achieve those layered, mosaic-like effects.”
Katzoff worked in glass studios in America and New Zealand, soaking up different influences and refining his personal style over the years. “It’s mostly sculptural, trying to turn glass into something it isn’t – a lot of glass blowing technique is symmetrical and I’m interested in pushing past that to make something that challenges your perceptions.”
Design trends have noticeably changed since the pair first worked in glass. “Now there’s a real appreciation of what we do at Monmouth, our restrained colour and classic design,” says Katzoff. “Customers want something special like beautiful glasses and we really focus on this handmade aspect.”
“The lights are totally like that,” agrees Bradbourne. “They’re a decorative feature that is used every day and people appreciate it.”
“The beauty is in the simplicity of clean shapes,” explains Katzoff. “It doesn’t mean it’s easy to make such delicate forms — it’s a combination of both of our decades of experience. It is extremely refined and a challenge to execute.”
“It takes a long time to get good at glass blowing,” says Bradbourne. “I was lucky that I worked in Gary Nash’s studio and Isaac worked in lots of studios in exchange for blowing time.”
Monmouth Studios have big expectations for the future. “I went to a big glass conference in Europe a few years ago and visited some of the studios and I felt that our work really measured up,” says Katzoff. “It’s the realisation that what we’re doing in Auckland has the same quality. There’s the potential for us to make things that are just as significant.”
monmouthglassstudio.com
5 Great North Rd, Grey Lynn, Auckland
