sketchbook 08/10/09

Scouting for indoor sketching locations for the inevitable winter ahead. I found myself returning to the Harbourfront Centre and drawing Aaron and Bejamin, two glass blowers I've sketched before right here.

It also gave me the opportunity to practice drawing faces. Benjamin's pretty close, but Aaron's a ways off. I'm sure you'll be seeing more drawings from the Harbourfront Centre once the snow starts to fly.

sketchbook 30/08/09

Setsuko Sanagawa is a jewelry artist who is a resident crafts person at the Harbourfront Centre. Fortunately her workbench was right at the foot of the raised observational walkway so I had an opportunity to sketch her from this unique vantage point.

Her tackle box was filled with small canisters of different coloured powdered glass that she sprinkled on to the copper shapes and then she puts each piece into the kiln for 30seconds to melt. The result is a shiny piece of enameled copper from which she will string together all the individual pieces to make a necklace.

However, she was so busy with enameling her pieces that I didn't get a chance to talk to her a bit more. But please visit her Flickr pages where you'll find a beautiful array of work. (click on her name above)

Harbourfront Centre Glass studio revisited…

As the title implies, I returned to the glass studio in the Harbourfront Centre, where I had done a previous sketch of Nico and Rachel. However, this time I was able to sketch on the studio floor… a bit closer to the action.

Before I venture any further, I'd like to thank Aaron, Benjamin, Will and Christine for being so generous with their time and allowing me to ask them questions... So, thanks guys, I had a blast hanging out in your crib today!

So the drawing is of Aaron, the person shaping the glass and his assistant Will. Aaron's path to glass blowing, like the other glass blowers I've met, seems to have been along a circuitous route. Aaron told me that he was in training to be a commercial pilot, but after a few glass blowing seminars, he decided glass was something that suited his temperament better. Shortly after that he enrolled in Sheridan College Glass blowing program and graduated 2 years ago... good luck with your career and I'm sure you'll be a success, Aaron!

(Aaron, if you have a website and would like your name to be a link to it, send it my way)

Sketchbook 19/07/09

Today I ventured down to the Harbourfront Centre and found Nico and Rachel, two glass artists, creating a piece, in the open air glass studio. It was a treat watching the two work and at some points, the "dance" happened, where one stepped wordlessly around the other and vice a aversa. It was quite hypnotic at times but the heat soon snapped me back to reality. I sketched as quick as I could and added the colour and lettering outside to escape the heat. In this image Rachel is slowly blowing the glass as Nico slowly rolls and shapes the piece.

Well done Nico and Rachel!