66
How does the piece feel to pick up, to hold, to serve
with, to drink from? Its all the more satisfying to be able
to work on all those visceral levels. 99
Nicholas Kekic
tsugastudios.com
almost "genetic connection" to
gloss, with a grandfather who was
a glassworker at a General Electric
factory.
Another family connection is his
stepfather, glass artist James Nadal,
whom he credits as an equally
important influence, helping direct
him toward glass when he was in
his late teens, after falling away
from the material when his father
changed careers. Like so many
before him, Kekic immediately fell in
love with glass.
"It's a dynamic, exciting, chal-
lenging material. It's very seductive,
it glows, and it's hot."
Kekic has since taken that mate-
rial and shaped it into glowing
vessels in luscious colors; together,
the colored vessels seem almost
to "sing" in a group. The clean
curves and graceful form are clear
evidence of work made "with inten-
tion," as the 39-year-old artist puts
it. That intention is a key part of his
aesthetic.
"I find the glassblowing processes
can be so exciting and capti-
vating, the glassmaker can easily
get carried away, and pieces can
get over-worked pretty quickly. I'm
always aspiring to find that beauty
in simplicity" - which can often be
the hardest to create.
Most of Kekics work is blown, with
the exception of his witty "squarbles,"
a playful take on the time-honored
tradition of glass marbles. The
squarbles are another exception
to his usual practice, since function
usually plays a primary role in his
art. He likes the extra dimension that
utility adds to his work, engaging
senses beyond the visual. "How does
the piece feel to pick up, to hold, to
serve with, to drink from? It's all the
more satisfying to be able to work on
all those visceral levels."
Kekic has been working with glass
for 20 years, so he's earned his
recognition by himself. Still, he says,
"I do feel like the gods are smiling
on me. There are so many layers of
connection to the glass community
and my family. Glass has been a
vehicle for all that." ■
