We talked to the mysterious glassblower Orphan Glass about his work and the sources of inspiration for his incredible creations. True to his name, Orphan Glass grew up as an orphan and often felt that he related to characters from horror films like "Carrie" and "Basketcase". These films often had a shared central theme focusing on characters who felt unwanted, and that resonated with Orphan Glass as he grew up struggling to understand himself and his situation without the guidance of any true parental figures. He developed a love for horror films and the subculture which surrounds them.
As Orphan Glass grew into adulthood he found that he was fascinated by glassblowing and the crazy things that glassblowers could produce, and saw an opportunity to express himself using glass as his medium. Orphan Glass was taken to a local studio by a friend, and after that he returned to the shop several times asking to help the team there in any way that he could. Eventually they let him in and Orphan Glass started learning the core foundations first and foremost, with shop safety being heavily emphasized during this early period.
Though Orphan Glass had come to the shop to learn, he found this to be more challenging than he initially thought. The shop was staffed by professional production glassblowers that didn't necessarily have time to stop and teach him this or that, or to answer his many questions. Eventually Orphan Glass found that the biggest challenge of all was understanding exactly what he wanted to do with glass and how to ask the right questions that would get him to where he wanted to be. The art that Orphan Glass wanted to make had never really been done before and he would have to learn and sometimes develop his own techniques to achieve those goals.
Orphan Glass is pursuing those goals now, and he has achieved many of them since he began his journey in glassblowing. His primary source of inspiration comes from the horror movies which he grew up loving and continues to love to this day. The subject matter provides so many opportunities for Orphan Glass to express his own personal angst and anger, and though much of what he creates may come across as bitter or cynical he's actually a very pleasant and positive-thinking individual. The act of self-expression in glass allows Orphan Glass to explore the darker side of his imagination and drag those thoughts out into the physical world.
Though glassblowing can be a very solitary experience, Orphan Glass is not the type of person to isolate himself from the community. He believes that the glassblowing industry is one of the most open and supportive communities, though there are a few black sheep here and there by and large glassblowers are ready and willing to collaborate, and Orphan Glass seeks out collaborations wherever they can be found. He can often be seen at tradeshows sporting his signature hooded mask, and he says that the tradeshow experience always leaves him feeling invigorated and ready to create. In the future Orphan Glass intends to continue making whatever horrible things crawl out of his soul. You can see more of Orphan Glass' ghoulish creations over on the Orphan Glass Instagram page.
