THE ART OF GLASS WITH
JEREMY SINKUS
Pictured: Nodule #77 “Sister of Ignis' - Glass Art by Jeremy Sinkus.
BEFORE WATCHING NETFLIX'S 'BLOWN AWAY'; A SHOW ABOUT COMPETITIVE GLASS BLOWING - I KNEW VERY LITTLE ABOUT THE ART FORM. WHAT I DO KNOW NOW IS GLASSBLOWING AND GLASS SCULPTING IS A GRUELLING ART FORM THAT REQUIRES DEDICATION AND PASSION. ITS NOT FOR THE FAINT OF HEART.
THE CREATIONS OF JEREMY SINKUS TAKE GLASS ART TO A WHOLE NEW LEVEL AND WE ARE EXCITED TO HAVE JEREMY SHARE HIS CREATIONS, PROCESS AND A LITTLE MORE ABOUT HIMSELF WITH MODE.
CHECK OUT HIS WORK BELOW AND HIS ONLINE STORE FOR MORE OF HIS GLASS CREATIONS.
Pictured: 'Ocean Inclusions' Sculpture by Jeremy Sinkus.
I live in a small village north eastern town of Shelburne Falls Massachusetts USA. Famous for its bridge of flowers that crosses the beautiful river outside my studio. The waterfall is used to generate hydroelectric electricity that I use in the studio to run all my kilns and machinery. The same way that the old mill was powered to make knives over 200 years ago. My studio is in an old mill that was the oldest knife making factory in the country. When I am not making glass art I like to garden, dig for minerals and spend time at the ocean scuba diving, fishing or finding things washed up on the coast.
I have been working in glass since 1998. Since I was a child I have always been a creator, and experiencing many different forms of art. But when I was introduced to the alluring craft of glass blowing in 1998 I was hooked. The roaring of the furnaces, the smell of bee’s wax and burning woods was elemental and romantic on some level. And that was before the glass as a material got me. I immediately found ways to work with glass in my art. Blending twisted glass cane and crystals together to form mythical tools and torching blue rods of glass to make tribal like human figures.
Pictured: 'Human Nature' Wearable art by Saar Snoek. Photographed by Maaike Engels
Pictured: Geo Nodule #74 “Sun Star' - Glass Art by Jeremy Sinkus.
After my initial inspiration I took a class to learn howe to melty and sculpt glass on my own using flame working techniques. The process of using a torch to melt glass. This was life changing and what I needed to be independent in my glass work. I could set up in my basement or garage and work smaller scale and whenever I wanted. Later I combined flame working glass with casting glass. Casting in an electric kiln gave me everything that flame working couldn't. Scale, details, thickness, textures, mass, time to sculpt. Wow, I was in for another run of inspiration! That was permanent.
So, glass to me resembled everything I loved about the subterranean. It was both underwater and beneath the earth. It was stone and sea, gems and fish, crystals and water. Over time I slowly realized why I was drawn to glass. I knew that I loved it and it fascinated me but after over a decade or more it finally made sense. That it brought out the places in me that were enchanting. And then I could start to create on a more personal level.
Pictured: Geo Nodule #78 “Infinity' - Glass Art by Jeremy Sinkus.
My Contemporary Art Nodules came from an idea of putting the top 10 attributes that both I and other people found intriguing about glass objects into one pieces of art. I spent days thinking and writing all these down. Then drew on paper a design and the Nodule was born. Things like small windows ( because large windows are too revealing and don not create curiosity.) And something inside, everyone likes to look into glass and see something bizarre inside. And otherworldly, not something from this atmosphere. The list goes on but I won’t reveal The all. lol!
Pictured: 'Reuleaux Tourmaline Glass Set ' Tableware by Jeremy Sinkus.
Glass is amazing stuff and is infinite. There is no end to what can be created with glass. The contemporary glass movement is still young and will be exploding with new art in the up and coming years. It is not instant or easy and takes a lifetime of commitment to understand and learn how to work on an intentional level.
Pictured: Geo Nodule #75 “Nebula' - Glass Art by Jeremy Sinkus.
My quote for my glass art is “ Glass is geological” and that “ Glass is the human expression of a geological process.” Since glass is a geological material (quartz, ash, lime, metals and other minerals) it makes perfect sense to create objects that celebrate the earth from which it came.
Pictured: 'Tourmaline Rocks Glasses' Tableware by Jeremy Sinkus.
