Nicolas Laty

Glassblower

©M.Windal

©jerome Ruffin

©M.Windal

©Nicolas Laty

Naive glass cartoons

Nicolas’ sculptures prompt memories of childhood
He is president of SoBig association, which promotes glass craft
He teaches seminars at the European Centre for Glass (CERFAV)

Nicolas Laty is a master glass sculptor based in Biot, a village on the French Riviera renowned for its glass tradition. His approach to the craft was greatly influenced by the meeting with his master, artist Jean Claude Novaro. Nicolas specialises in hot sculpting, working with solid glass. Through the mastery of his gesture, he gives shape to figurative and playful characters who have great expressiveness. As Nicolas states, “with this bestiary of a deliberately naive naturalism, I wish to raise in the viewer the memory of the relationships they had with animal encounters in the past.” Along with bright colours, Nicolas' work explores the notion of textures, combining glass with other materials such as silicone, minerals or wood.

Interview

©M.Windal

©M.Windal

How would you define what you do?: Implicitly and explicitly, I try to transcribe the link between man and animal where the animal shows an expressiveness close to that of humans. These animals have a soul, which shines through their postures, their smile and their eyes.
What do you like most about being a glass sculptor?: The close relationship with the material. From the moment I plunge the rod into the glass basin, I cannot stop, I cannot take a break. So there is a direct relationship, a constant attention with the molten glass until the object is finished. It is a crazy feeling.
How is innovation reflected in your work?: I like to ally tradition and modernity by using traditional techniques, such as the Venetian cutting work, 'battuto', applying it in a modern figurative style. I also use new products, like luminescent pigments. Recently, I led a project on the creation of a glass sculpture based on a visual created by Artificial Intelligence.
What part does the territory play in your work?: I work in France, in Biot, which is known for its glass factory and its bubble glass (1956). Since the 1980s, Biot has played a real role in the development of contemporary glass. Today, with the support of the town hall, SoBig association which I chair, has succeeded in setting up the Biot International Glass Festival.

Nicolas Laty is a master artisan: he began his career in 2001 and he started teaching in 2015