BIO
My name is Blaine, and I make sculptures that explore the complementary nature between glass and other materials to create thoughtful, evocative work which engages the viewer.
SKILLS
Glass blowing
Hot sculpting
Glass casting
Metal casting
Welding
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I love being the unexpected. From a young age my name struck up minor controversy - I had a boy’s name. I eagerly anticipated the moment of shock I induced in others simply by introducing myself, be it a friend’s parent or a new teacher. As I got older, this penchant for surprise only intensified. Though painfully shy at first, people do not expect the descent into my real personality as I become comfortable around them. Likewise, my presence in the studio and style of work is disproportionate to my small stature. Rather than be hindered by it, I have learned to work around it… anything can be moved with a long enough lever.
Unsurprisingly, I find myself drawn to the contradictory nature of life, acutely aware of the dueling forces that influence the world. Call them what you will: negative and positive, light and dark, high and low, manic and depressive, I exist in a polarized state of mind.
I aim to capture this dichotomy in my work- the emphasis that beauty and grotesqueness can bring out in one another. No interaction is better than that of a viewer so drawn to a beautiful object they get closer, only to realize there are disturbing undercurrents present, forcing them to reevaluate their idea of beauty. This love for contradiction makes glass my material of choice. As strong as it is fragile, with the ability to be crystal clear or opaque, I find glass to be a metaphor for life.