Right angles and rough textures
- Thaddeus makes angular forms that defy the fluidity of glass
- His unique process combines glassblowing and glass casting
- He draws on human-made and organic structures as inspiration
Growing up in the glass city of Toledo, Ohio, Thaddeus Wolfe was always surrounded by art and architecture. He experimented with clay, took art classes at the museum and observed buildings with his architect father. At the Cleveland Institute of Art, he studied art and design with a focus on glass. After moving to New York, Thaddeus began using Styrofoam as his moulding material. Practical, flat, lightweight and easy to shape, it allowed for the sharp geometry in his Assemblage series. His improvisatory method involves inflating glass into single-use plaster casts, and results in painterly, geological, constructed forms. “The work often suggests architectural entropy: structures built up while other roughly textured parts crumble,” Thaddeus says.
INTERVIEW
The angular aesthetic came from absorbing cubism, geometric abstract art and architectural styles, including brutalism. I noticed mineral structures had similar forms, and was trying to recreate and synthesise this sensibility without direct reference.
I sculpt broken and carved Styrofoam pieces to create a mould, and then layer different tints into glass before blowing it into the heated cavity. After the mould is removed, I carve and polish certain areas of the piece, exposing the interior strata.
I work intuitively with a basic idea, building from prior projects or experimentation. Some work better than others, some are left to chance or are out of my control. It is the nature of this particular mould blowing process and the application of glass colour.
I hope to explore new directions, possibly incorporating other materials into the glass. I have tried working with ceramics in the past. The whole process of making pieces is a challenge. I have learned it takes space and time to discover what works, and what does not.
