Slide Show: Throwing Ideas at Glass Houses
Isabel Toledo on the deck of an executive cabin at Pilchuck Glass School in Stanwood.
Photography by Laura Cassidy
Ruben Toledo
Photography by Laura Cassidy
On the way to dinner, Ruben showed us his favorite treehouse, where one lucky glass school participant got to live for those three weeks.
Photography by Laura Cassidy
All of the buildings on the campus are gorgeous; very Northwest, simple, modern, and elegant.
Photography by Laura Cassidy
This is the view from the main dining hall out on to the Puget Sound.
Photography by Laura Cassidy
It was clear that the Toledos were affected by the Northwest landscape; here, Ruben’s watercolors of wildlife.
Photography by Laura Cassidy
This is a watercolor that Ruben did of a totem pole on campus. He and Isabel imaged a woven web around the structure, and then they made it come to life. Students wove fabric strips together, collectively in a ceremony-like environment, and expressed their wishes and expectations for the session.
Photography by Laura Cassidy
These are some of the fabric strips left over from the ceremony. They were tied to a railing outside the Toledo’s work studio.
Photography by Laura Cassidy
Inside Ruben and Isabel’s studio
Photography by Laura Cassidy
Inside Ruben and Isabel’s studio.
Photography by Laura Cassidy
Even the blotting papers and scratch pads were beautiful.
Photography by Laura Cassidy
These are the paintings, done by Ruben and referred to in the story, that inspired glass artist Roger Parramore to create the baroque, gothic perfume bottle (also shown here).
Photography by Laura Cassidy
This is Ruben’s interpretation of hot shop choreography. He has a rich history of painting dancers, but he marveled at the glass worker’s speed and agility and remarked that it was very difficult to capture. They were both in awe of the improv and the organization of the hot shop. This image, as mentioned in the story, was made into a silkscreen and painted on to just about every tee-shirt and pair of boxer shorts in Pilchuck during the last week of the session.
Photography by Laura Cassidy
