Louis La Rooy

Glass sculptor | Almere, Netherlands

Fusing glass into abstract art

Louis paints his sculptures with layered glass
Collaboration with other glass blowers is vital to him
He takes on monumental artistic commissions

Louis La Rooy discovered an affinity with glass while working as a decorator for a window-display materials business. When glass was introduced to the mix, he realised its allure. He spread his artistic wings by joining a glass processing company, Van Tetterode Glasindustrie where he grew to become an integral part of the art department there, learning to master sandblasting, polishing, etching, appliqué and fusing techniques. The renowned atelier had already made a name for itself in its collaboration with eminent artists such as Karel Appel and Corneille at the end of the 1950s and 1960s. In recent years, his art has focussed on human – as well as animal – heads, finding himself teetering on the edge of creating cartoons.

Interview

©Richard Willebrands

Have you mastered any specific techniques?: I started my career in glass at an early age, so I have learnt many techniques such as sandblasting, etching, appliqué, fusing, blowing and casting, although with the last two disciplines I prefer to be guided by more experienced blowers, as my forte is flat glass.
What are your specialisations?: Fusing is my specialisation. It’s the amalgamation of well matched coloured glass which occurs in an oven at 800°C. The fusing technique allows you to work in a very painterly way by overlapping layers of glass which in turn creates hundreds of different hues.
What do you love most about your profession?: Although much of an artist’s work is solo, not much can be achieved alone with glass. During a glass blowing session I work with five or six blowers who contribute with their invaluable expertise. I am then more of a conductor getting my design executed.
Can you name a highlight from your career?: A large stained-glass window I executed in Mexico in the early 1980s. It was designed by Rufino Tamayo, a well-known Mexican artist. The window was nine metres high and seven metres wide. I was in Mexico City for nine months in a studio set up solely for the project.

Louis La Rooy is an expert artisan: he began his career in 1965