Art Chowder September | October, Issue 23 | Page 28

Chorvat:  I’d say I engage in contemplation because the word
“meditation” is a little conceptual. I would say contemplative
mindfulness is how I recharge myself — by trying to recognize
the true nature of reality. Often, I just sit very still, and for
fleeting moments,  I transcend the electro-chemical situation
to temporarily gaze at the emptiness of it all, for as long as my
patience allows.  
Then I get back on the torch.  
Art Chowder:   If you could travel anywhere through space and
time, where/when would you go and why?
Chorvat:  Right here. Right now. Because that’s where it’s at.
***
At the end of our interview, Chorvat offers to give me a
demonstration of the work. We both don heavy-duty goggles
with shaded lower halves to protect our eyes. Chris chooses
a length of borosilicate and with hands mere inches from the
powerful blue-white flame of a gas torch and a playlist running
in the background, Chorvat begins to turn, stretch, turn, and pull
a simple glass rod into another shape. When the artist removes it
from the flame for a quick look and adjustment, the borosilicate
cools and hardens quickly, leaving little to no room for error.
“The technique and method is like driving a car with your
pinky,” Chorvat offers. “That subtlety is necessary.”
Dutifully reheating the piece, the artist then pulls it from the
flame just long enough to draw breath and puff some air through
one end, expanding the middle. The rod, now sporting a bubble
shape, is thrust back into the flame before Chris picks up a
smaller glass rod and begins to heat it up. Once it reaches the
desired melting point, Chorvat drags it along the body of the
larger piece to create ridges and designs. After the design is
set the smaller glass rod is dipped into tiny flakes of silver or
gold which are then burned to fumes to create colors on the
larger piece. It’s a fascinating and dangerous process, and Chris
Chorvat is one of the pioneers who created it.   
If you would like to see more of Chris Chorvat’s art, you can find it at:
Tsuga - 1114 S. Perry St, Spokane, Washinton 99202
Instagram  https://www.Instagram.com/Art_Walker_Chorvat
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WalkerBunny
Etsy: https://Chorvat.etsy.com
Artist’s website: http://www.chorvatart.com/    
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ART CHOWDER MAGAZINE