David Traub

  • Still-Life.jpg Still Life #8 - Outpouring, 2011. Blown glass and vitrolite, room temperature fused. Photo credit: Leigh Mitchell-Anyon.
  • Last of the Summer Wine 2009 Hot Glass Components fused & cold worked Steel Base 325x90x7(each).jpg Last of the Summer Wine, 2009. Hot glass components fused & cold worked in steel base. Photo credit: Leigh Mitchell-Anyon.
  • After Sol’ 2014, Crushed glass, fused, slumped and cold worked. 345 x 345 x 85.jpg After Sol, 2014. Crushed glass, fused, slumped and cold worked. Photo credit: Leigh Mitchell-Anyon.
  • Cup of Tea for Mr. H 2009 Hot Glass Components fused & cold worked in Steel Base 325x420x8.jpg Cup of Tea for Mr. H, 2009. Hot glass components fused and cold worked in steel base. Photo credit: Leigh Mitchell-Anyon.

What inspires me

Since 2000 I have moved away from being mainly seen as a glass blower and now work more in the fusing and slumping processes. I am still influenced by the world around me but specifically my work has drawn on painting, textiles, weaving and historical domestic forms in glass and ceramics. I make my work as an exploration of those ideas and to try and elicit a response from the viewer; however it is my own need to create that drives my work.

Making in the Midlands

I moved to England from Texas in 1984 to do a Masters in glass at Stourbridge. I then joined the staff at Staffordshire University before moving to New Zealand in 1995.

One of the themes of both my work and my teaching is the importance of the history of glass on the makers of today, and where could you get a better understanding of the British glass industry than in Stourbridge? I was taught by some very skilled and knowledgeable people: Keith Cummings, Brett (from the Red House Cone Repair shop), Ivan Smith, Charles Hajdamac, Stanley Moody (Birmingham University) to name just a few. I would not be the person I am today had my life not interacted with those individuals.

What has changed most about the crafts in the last thirty years

There are lots of changes and not all are for the good. I think there is a better understanding of the ‘Hand Made’, which means it is possible to make a living as a maker/artist. There are more international exhibitions and the internet enables promotion of your work on a scale that has never before been possible. On the down side I think education for the arts and crafts is in a decreasing spiral with fewer courses. The fact that you can get a Masters or Doctorate in some places with just a year’s study means that the in-depth exploration and development of ones work to attain these qualifications is diminished.

Website: http://www.glass-newzealand.co.nz/


return