Pilchuck: a School with a View

When one thinks of Pilchuck one cannot but think of the centre of the glass universe. At Pilchuck there is glass galore. With an abundance of energy the school attracts the cream of the emerging and established glass artists of the world to teach the enthusiasts of all ages, with only one common denominator: glass!

Being invited to join this vibrant community and to give a course on what is thus far a unique technique was an enormous thrill for Yorgos Papadopoulos. It shows both the daring and innovation-minded philosophy of the school as well as a highly appreciated artistic recognition for the artist.

As title of the course he chose ‘Breaking and Mending’. These two concepts are not just the essential elements of his technique, they also point to the core of his artistic vision. Unlike most glass artists, for Yorgos breakage is not death nor destruction. It is just another part of the indefinite impermanence of being that, with the right attitude and effort, can be turned into something beautiful.

On Tuesday Seattle based glass artist Cappy Thompson joined Yorgos’s class. Together the artists created two panels, ‘Sphinx’ and ‘Ichthus’. By Wednesday all students had finished their personal work and the studios were cleaned up for a walk through. The results were very impressive. The students were justly very proud of their achievements.