I have long been an admirer of
Richard La Londe. He is a fused glass artist and glass "painter." While he makes some smaller fused glass slumped vessels, the work I admire most are his large scale fused glass 'murals.'
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| (c) Richard La Londe, "Masked Intentions" |
He has been a part of the studio glass movement since 1974. He crushes glass and "paints" with that crushed glass, which he then fuses in a kiln. His works appear in schools and public venues primarily on the West Coast. He has been commissioned over the years to create 15 glass murals, including one located at SeaTac airport in Seattle.
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| (c) Richard La Londe, "Look to See" |
He was one of the first fused glass instructors through the Bullseye Glass supplier, and has served as an instructor from his studio and at the famous Pilchuck Glass School.
What I have admired about La Londe's work are the brilliant colors and the intense amount of symbology he uses in his work. While I am not certain how much background he has with Native American cultures, I find it in abundance throughout his works. And I quite like it.
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| (c) Richard La Londe, "World View" |
I have tried, without success, for the past two years in a row to get to his class on Whidbey Island. It is still amongst my artistic bucket list to study with him. Perhaps, assuming the world hasn't ended beforehand, 2013 will be the year I get to take classes with/from him.
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| (c) Richard La Londe, "New Beginnings" |
I have both his books and have poured over them intently, studying the color combinations, the manner in which he constructed the larger murals and to just enjoy the overall works. While it has been a few years since he has apparently done any large scale commissions, I believe that his experimentation with the Bullseye Glass in the 80s was seminal work and that I, and other fused glass artists owe thanks to him for his experiments.
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| (c) Richard La Londe, "Mythopia" |
