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Seekers
presents the work of Buzz Blodgett, whose original designs in handblown glass
are distinguished by elegant, fluid shapes and imagery suggestive of aquatic
lifeforms.
Blodgett
uses the ancient techniques of glassblowing to create original, contemporary
designs in vases, bowls, perfume vials, paperweights, oil lites and other works.
He
blows each piece freely, without the use of molds, primarily from glass he has
formulated and made himself.
Using
traditional glassblowing methods that are thousands of years old, he creates
each piece at the end of a blowpipe, working the glass at temperatures in excess
of 2000 degrees F.
Blodgett’s
designs reveal a fascination with the optical properties of glass. His Seafoam
series of vases, bowls, perfume vials and oil lites feature an internal spray of
bubbles within the thick, crystal clear base of the piece.
To
achieve the bubbles, he applies a special formulation of natural mineral
compounds to the molten glass, then encases the piece in crystal.
His
Scenic series includes several vessel
forms on which he has created scenes including sunrise and sunsets some with
birds on the horizon.
In
all of his designs, he favors thick masses of crystal, usually combining layers
of transparent color and clear glass. Some pieces are created with multiple
colors of transparent glass melded together. He is widely know for the purity
and brilliance of his colors.
He
achieves a jewel-like color palette using formulations of various metallic
oxides and rare earth elements —
such as gold, cobalt, copper and others — which he mixes into the molten
glass.
As
a native Californian, Blodgett has lived near the ocean and surfed all of his
life. His love of water is evident in the design of his pieces, which have a
fluid quality that is much like that found in the sea.
Blodgett
began blowing glass when his ceramicist father, Walter, built a glass furnace in
1969. After attending
Palomar
Junior College
, he earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry from
San Diego
State
University
. He has taught glassblowing at the
University
of
California
,
San Diego
.
Blodgett
Glass was established in 1970 by the father and son team. Buzz took over all
glassblowing for the studio in 1975.
Each
piece is signed Buzz Blodgett and dated; some limited edition pieces are
numbered.
His
works are included in numerous public and private collections, including that of
the Lannan Foundation, and have been shown at the renowned Corning Museum of
Glass and exhibited throughout the
United States
.
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