Kiara Pelissier
Glassblower
Sabadell, Barcelona, Spain
Recommended by Jean Blanchaert & Irina Focsaneanu Eschenazi
Ripples frozen in glass forms
- Kiara is the fourth generation of artists in her family
- She works with her own contemporary version of traditional techniques
- In her Crumple series, she collapses thin-walled structures to create the desired effect
Kiara Pelissier first discovered glassblowing at Haystack Mountain School of Crafts when she visited at the age of 12. Her father, a master goldsmith, was assisting a workshop at the time, and she happened to peek in on a Venetian glassblowing class during that visit. "I was immediately mesmerised," says Kiara. She holds a BFA from the Cleveland Institute of Art and an MFA in fine arts and glass from Virginia Commonwealth University. "Art school is where I learned to think conceptually about my work, my choice of medium and context," she says. Kiara also learned her technical skills working professionally for master glassblowers and attending workshops at craft schools across the USA such as Pilchuck Glass School, The Studio of Corning Museum of Glass, Penland School of Craft and Haystack Mountain School of Crafts.
INTERVIEW
My speciality is pushing the limits of the material whilst shaping it hot. I manipulate the glass in an organic and abstract manner. I am very used to working off-centre and focus heavily on capturing the essence of movement in the material.
I break with tradition to experiment with the material. In the Crumple series, the innovation lies in the purposeful collapse of a thin-walled structure. I intentionally blow the glass extremely thin and overheat it. I also transfer the pieces from one axis to another on top of those folds.
Thanks to my craft, I have learned to embrace error as part of the creative process and to accept failure as a valuable lesson. I now trust my instincts fully, and I experience the exhilarating feeling of putting something out into the world that reflects my emotions and connects me to others.
I use fuel-efficient equipment to lower consumption costs, and social media to promote my work. For concept and composition, I still rely on pencil and paper. I get a better feel for the material the old-fashioned way.
Kiara Pelissier
Glassblower
Sabadell, Barcelona, Spain
Recommended by Jean Blanchaert & Irina Focsaneanu Eschenazi
ADDRESS
Address upon request, Sabadell, Barcelona, Spain
AVAILABILITY
By appointment only
LANGUAGES
English, Spanish
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