Art Chowder September | October, Issue 23 | Page 26

Art Chowder:   What else do you enjoy
about glass work?
Chorvat:  There is an ever-present magic
to glass, as both a dazzling and esoteric
material. There are colors and light
patterns that one cannot achieve without
glasswork, and it is all so fascinating that
I get to see these arrangements of very
fine, rare-earth materials when they are
still hot, which brings rise to a feeling of
creation.
Because borosilicate glass work is
a cerebral process, it is a situation that
requires contemplation and skillful
means. The empirical and gestalt nature
of glass as a material gives me rules to
follow, to create specific concepts around
what the medium may illicit in every
person. There is an integral dance that
comes intrinsically from every glass
artist.  Without those elements of the
process, the glassworks simply cannot
survive. 
Art Chowder:   What advice would you give
to someone interested in learning how to
work with glass?
Chorvat:  Get a good teacher, and an
experienced mentor, locally or not.  I
can’t stress the importance of this enough.
It is a very painful process to learn that
you wasted your time doing something
wrong. Finding the very best teacher
available to you is the best option. I have
taught apprenticeships, which were more
effective than just a class or two. Having
specific attention paid to your process, and
the limitations that you set for yourself,
is powerful. Experience is cheap, but not
free.
Art Chowder:   Name an artist(s) you
admire. 
Chorvat:  I’ve learned from so many people
it’s hard to list them all. I guess that
depends on whether you’re talking about
glass artwork or artwork in general.
26 ART CHOWDER MAGAZINE
Art Chowder:   Either.
Chorvat:  Well, in painting, I’m inspired
by James Turrell’s work where less
is more. His adherence to Gestalt
psychology completely turns me into
just a big well of inspiration. Roger
Brown as well. I try to go after all of the
nuances and color values he brings forth
in his work.
Then there’s Lino Tagliapietra and
Lucio Bubacco, a master glass artist
I learned from 25 years ago. He and
an artist named Brian Kerkvliet from
Bellingham, and Bandhu Scott Dunham
are my inspiration, my mentors. I
became friends with Bandhu and he
wrote the textbooks Contemporary
Lampworking, volumes one, two, and
three. He does a lot of work with the
Corning Museum and I’m always
inspired by the things he makes, and the
direction he takes glass blowing in as
an archival medium, and as something
worth talking about — the realm of high
art. He applies critical thinking to glass
blowing which is rare. 
I’d also like to mention Harold and
Rosemary Balazs who inspired me
with their artistic acumen, design
sense, and sharing of the magic of
community in the arts. Painter and
sculptor, Tom Askman has been a
mentor for a lifetime. Tom gave me
insights into healthy thinking through
alternative paradigms of situations and
composition, in both life and art.  Greg
Dumonthier offered me an escape from a
mundane view of art and critical theory
that I held, by showing me that the
subjectivity of art does not necessarily
apply when higher standards require
it not to. And I must, must mention
Andrea Van Voorhis. She showed me
that the true value of the arts experience
comes from the dedication to a studio
practice, which bonds artists together
with an indelible helping of conceptual
glue. 
Art Chowder:   What do you do to recharge
your artistic batteries? (Visit friends,
meditate, exercise, snap bubble wrap?)