Sunday 11/16/25
On Sundays I reflect.
I didn’t drink alcohol this week. The thought didn’t even cross my mind. My best weeks typically go that way.
Thanksgiving is around the corner. It’s hard to imagine winter is here when it feels so much like fall or even spring these days. Vail opened, but I don’t see much snow.
I’ve got a million things to write about today, but the rest of this post will be about an artist called Twinkle that you have never heard of.
Twinkle is a multi media artist my parent’s age who found our studio a few months ago while visiting Vail which he frequents. His past work in soft glass and ceramics have been shown in galleries and fairs including SOFA in Chicago.
Upon first finding us, Twinkle struggled with bringing his visions to life with borosilicate glass due to its limited scale and short working time compared to soft glass. He has been working one on one with Ian at my studio with some assistance from me sprinkled in over a handful of one week intensive sessions. We just wrapped up another of these collaborative sessions, and the growth and evolution is beginning to show for everyone involved.
Twinkle is accomplished in both the business world and the art world. His true zen he says comes on his snowboard, which he acknowledges is limited at his age. His other passion is making art. He describes his weeks with us as being fulfilling and rewarding to him at that same level.
He is truly a zen master, one of the nicest and happiest people I’ve ever met. He still finds childlike wonder and joy from the process. There is a balance between being hands on, and being a designer having us fabricate his ideas not unlike our recent sessions with Jen Stark.
In every instance working with Twinkle and glass his intuition is to do the opposite of what our experienced brains tell us to do. He wants to make forms just to break them and use the “chards” as a pallet for creating his real art. He wants to hardly melt in the glass, and create rough and jagged textures. His work is insane, and Ian has gotten to a point of understanding the vision so deeply that he can anticipate Twinkle’s next thoughts sometimes before he can.
Everything we have made together so far is completely original and would not be any concepts Ian nor myself would pursue without Twinkle’s vision and guidance.
We have fun together in the studio. There is a lot of laughter. We all get outside our comfort zone to bring these works to life. It’s a real privilege for me to be a part of this project.
So as the forms evolved we’ve settled on a series now titled “Lid Stands”. These large vase like objects are really just platforms to hold incredibly ornate tops or lids. I don’t know of anyone else making work like this.
I’m so excited about where this work will go, and look forward to any time Twinkle and Ian can connect here at the studio. A few of the pieces are now available in the gallery, which bring a new energy to the space.
Twinkle has helped reorient my attitude towards art and glass. For that I’m grateful. It’s always important to bring in new perspectives in order to see things a different way.
If you are interested in seeing more of the work please reach out. These are very special pieces that represent a culmination of more than 60 combined hours of fabrication from our team.
Seeing the evolution from our first session this past year to now, I know this work will continue to advance and develop in a way I can’t even imagine.
Ian has demonstrated a level of understanding of our tools and materials neither of us knew he possessed. We both knew he was good, but this series really shows how far his proficiency goes. We’ve been friends for many years and I’m so appreciative of his support of my brand and studio. It’s an honor to have him working on projects like this, along with other things we’re planning which I cannot yet share about. Between our 10-12 hour work days with Twinkle this week we spent time prepping and planning for what’s on deck. I couldn’t be more proud of what we’re doing.
Thanks Ian for being someone I can rely on to assist in unexplored territory. Thanks for coming along for the ride with me. We talked about how many adventures we’ve been on and cities we’ve been to together. I’m glad you’re part of this.
I’ve got a long list of chores and projects to finish today so I need to wrap up here after one last note.
I’ve been exploring a new project myself in sculpting hangers, leading towards bigger sculptural work I’m going to be pursuing. Thanks to everyone who has acquired some of these first pieces as I dive into a new process with glass. Your support has helped financially as well as in reminding me that I need to continue pursuing my own art.
As always enjoy your Sunday,
BB
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