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Glass Blowing Artists recycle at Sundance |
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Written by Joanna Cornejo
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Monday, 08 September 2008 |
Making beauty out of trash is something that artist Gustavo Calderón of Tlaquepaque, Jalisco, Mexico, has been doing for 30 years. For the past seven years, he and two other glass-blowers from the Guadalajara area, Vicente Martin del Campo and Octavio Flores, all resident artists at Sundance resort, have created stunning, one-of-a-kind items made entirely from recycled glass.
Always an institution focused on the arts and on the environment, Sundance sought out artists that could not only create masterpieces but who could do it using waste glass from the resort, which is especially important as glass recycling services are not available in Utah County.
Finding the right people was not an easy task.
“What we found, and this might be changing now, is that artists in the United States were not using recycled glass,” said Celeste Dennis, Sundance Art Shack manager. “It is quite different from working with a new material. These artists brought a skill that was a perfect fit with the vision of Sundance, using a medium that lessens our environmental impact.”
All three started learning that skill at a young age, Flores at only 13 years old. Calderón explained that where they are from, young people start working early because they need to help support their families. Those many years of experience have nurtured some incredible talent that I was able to see at work up at the glass blowing studio.
Martin del Campo demonstrated how color is added to the glass. Every piece starts out with recycled, crushed clear glass. After heating the glass and blowing it into a bubble, the bubble can be rolled into bits of crushed colored glass and then heated some more.
After that, the glass blowing can only be described as pure magic. I watched as Martin del Campo created a beautiful flower bloom on the end of a long glass stem. (These flowers are displayed on each table of the Foundry Grill, as well as in the Sundance Gallery.)
During the time they spend at Sundance the artists create pieces for the resort, as well as their own designs they can sell in the gallery. They find inspiration from the natural surroundings in the canyon. And although it is difficult for them to leave their families for months at a time to come up to Sundance to work, (there have been up to six artists at Sundance at a time) they all said they love the area and the people in Utah have been very kind.
“This is a beautiful place,” Calderón said, sweeping his arm to indicate the amazing view of Mount Timpanogos. “We are very grateful to be here.”
Dennis said that the artists are a beloved part of the Sundance community, and returning guests love to come see them and their work. And the chance to visit the studio is a unique opportunity to see an art form that Martin del Campo says is getting harder to come by. He said that back home in Mexico, most young people are going to work in factories instead of learning a skill such as glass blowing.
Knowing the many years the men have invested in learning the skill made it even more of a privilege to watch their combined talent at work.
While visiting Sundance, make time to stop at the Art Shack and see their pieces in the gallery, or if you’re lucky, catch them in action. (Visit the studio Wednesday-Sunday to see them working.) The artists will be working through Jan. 30th, 2009 and will return later in the year.
For more information on Sundance, visit www.sundanceresort.com.
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