| Ralph
Gagne, resident artist and owner of Glassworx Studio stands at the open
doors wearing his yellow safety glasses and a friendly smile when I drive
up. The walkway to his front door, a sea of r ecycled
glass fragments sparkle like Dorothy’s shoes in the Wizard of Oz,
I am mesmerized and for a split second forget to say hello. Instead I
bend down and scoop up a handful of the diamonds for a better view. These
tiny tumbled jewels capture and reflect the sunlight in a myriad of colors.
Then I remember why I came, I return the handful of glass to the ground
and greet the artist.
Gagne is an ex-computer geek who decided he had enough of high tech after 20 years in the business. At
53 he bailed to pursue his passion for kiln formed glass. I confess to being intrigued about both his
passion and his calm resolve on the phone when I called to set up the interview. How many times have we
all dreamed of pursuing our passion as a career and then freaked out at the reality? Frankly I was kind of
jealous, so an interview was a must.
A 14 year resident of Spicewood, Gagne has adopted the laid back lifestyle one finds out at Lake Travis.
He is easy going and seriously happy to be at work in his studio. Glassworx Studio was an icon before the
sign went up. People who travel Hwy 71 West past Bee Creek Road have been talking about the cool new
metal building since construction began in February, 2004. Gagne confesses shyly that this 'flying metal
design' had been part of a dream, and yes, he drew up the plans and had them executed. The huge front
metal doors both slide to open the end of the building and a crosswind flows through and out the back
cooling the entire structure by 25 degrees. His rainwater collection tank matches his neon sign and he calls
it all 'sixth wave simplistic design'. I step inside and adjust my eyes from the sunlight.
The entire back wall is covered with rings of multi colored glass, each depicting a scene, I am drawn closer
for a better look. Gagne chuckles, "I call those my lusion rings, not like illusion but more like fusion". He
explains that each 18" ring of glass is made up of hundreds of glass pieces which he cuts and assembles,
then the whole ring is fired to the fused state in a glass kiln. The final result is open and delicate yet tough
enough to hold its own after firing. Each creation is titled by the artist, and several have stories to go along.
Jetson's Floral is clearly a flower arrangement straight from Jane Jetson's kitchen table. If you don't get
the humor here it does not mean you are too young to enjoy glass art! I just have to ask about Henry's Girl,
this big lipped, decked out, diva checking her lipstick in a mirrored ring. "Henry is my sole employee,
he's hot, and he works all night, so this is his girl", he says, pointing at his kiln. No gossip at the water
cooler from this employee. He opens Henry so I can see the results of last night's firing. The shelf is filled
with 'cabs', these are the fused glass beginnings of his unique jewelry. The colors and depths are
astounding. Some have dichroic glass imbedded and I am reminded of the 'oh' moment when the big
fireworks happen on the 4th of July. He captures those fireworks in his glass!
Gagne does custom work upon request especially in the architectural realm. His custom glass tiles accent
the ceramic tiles in high end bathrooms and kitchens. His creations are both personal and unique, customer
specific for color, size, and artwork. He confesses to me that his intent is 50/50, to be able to do the art he
enjoys so people can own a glass piece simply for the art, and to provide specific architectural design
glass that is both artistic and functional. While he is open to the public only on the weekends,
Gagne welcomes anyone who wants to stop by during the week. "If my doors are open but the gate is
closed I'm cutting or grinding glass, just announce yourself and come on in, people are always welcome."
He does prefer to set appointments for consultation on architectural design work via phone.
I pick up one of his square slumped glass platters, Midnight Snack, but only after he points to the basket of
gloves where I don a pair (it's about fingerprints not sharpness). The platter appears to be black until I turn
in the light and realize it is purple and contains the 'remnants' of a midnight snack embedded between the
layers of smooth glass. I turn it again and it's blue, then it's purple, and the snack part is gold. I'm
fascinated at the depth of colors and I'm suddenly hungry too. We walk next door to Bee Creek BBQ
where he treats me to a Killer (two fisted excellent breakfast taco, but that's another story ok). We look
back at his building from the picnic table and I realize there are multiple stone sculptures with glass eyes on
either side of his front steps. How did I miss those on my arrival? Gagne was a stone sculptor before he
became 'The Glassman' as friends call him. He sometimes incorporates the two elements and these 5
creatures he tells me are called 'Amorphi', they are art for the garden.
We stand in his front doors and enjoy both the breeze and the panoramic view of the hills across Hwy 71.
Do you get lonely out here I ask? "Oh no Bee Creek Road is the edge of development, it's only 18 miles
West of Austin, three miles past The Backyard, and we're growing fast out here in the hill country.
Spicewood, also known by the locals as Spacewood, is becoming a thriving little town of galleries and
enclaves of artists, "we'll be the Taos of Texas soon" he laughs. Gagne shows me a glass casting he is
doing in collaboration with a local metal artist.
I purchase a pair of purple earrings that keep calling me back to the case for another look, in fact I wear
them out, out into the sunlight-man I'm dazzled!
|
