Our blog for inspirations and insights from Bernard Katz and our glass studio
Our blog is where Bernard writes about his influences and inspiration. He writes about the creative process in making glass sculpture. His articles touch on various aspects of creativity and art. Along the way, Bernard answers many questions he has encountered as an artist and sculptor.
Dependency in Art and Life
The motif of dependency in art and sculpture has long been an explored subject matter. Whether blatant or subtle, relationships depicted are concluded to have a certain dependency. Expanded dependency One could say that all art is dependent on something to validate its existence. Take away an important element and the artwork becomes void, lacking, or in need of a reason. Dependency manifests early in life Dependency begins at birth. A newborn is completely dependent on its mother for the very basic of needs. A child’s emotional...
read moreHenry Moore Influence
Henry Moore and Barbara Hepworth have significantly grown as inspiration and influence on my own artwork and glass sculpture. In the first article, Inspiration in Art, I explained the complexity about inspiration. In the second article, Influence Behind My Glass Sculpture, I described the relationship between “inspiration” and “influence”. As I was becoming increasingly more interested in moving away from purely decorative vases and vessels, I was doing more drawing and sketches of forms that were less functional. My...
read moreInfluence Behind My Glass Sculptures
In my previous article about inspiration, I talked about the trickiness with the common question, “What is your inspiration?” In that article, I did not state the actual influence behind my glass sculptures. For people expecting me to pin-point those one or two things that have had an influence on my work, then this second part is the article for you. The Chicken or The Egg Influence and inspiration for me has always felt similar to the “chicken or the egg” theory. Let me give an example of what I mean by that....
read moreInspiration in Art | Glass Sculpture | Bernard Katz
The inspiration in art and in my own artwork, primarily in my glass sculpture, has for me been a tricky question. Why? Probably the top question besides, “What is it?” that is often asked of an artist, would be, “What is your inspiration?” Whether it is a person writing an article about my artwork, or a curious person just making light conversation… I have had to answer that question countless times. It’s not that I don’t want to answer it, or that I don’t have an answer. The question can be...
read moreCan’t Draw a Straight Line
”I can’t draw a straight line.” – I’m sure there is a good chance you may have heard someone make this statement at one time or another. When I hear someone say this, it usually means it is code for – “I am not creative enough to do thing (x), or thing (y).” Basically, it is just a way to down play their creative abilities. I personally have always believed that a big part of what separates human beings intellectually from most mammals is our creativity. Creativity and inventiveness is simply...
read moreIs this piece perfect?
“Is this piece perfect?” This is a question people sometimes ask me when looking at one of my glass sculptures, vases, or bowls. I think I was most surprised the first time someone asked me that. I felt a little defensive… not because the piece was defective in any way, but because I didn’t have a good answer. Was it perfect in its artistic achievement? I figured the person asking the question probably wondered if I considered it perfect in every way – in shape, form, and artistic goal realized. Either that or...
read moreWhen Craft becomes Art
Art vs. Craft – part three In part one of Art vs. Craft; I rolled through some of the aspects for the term, “craft”. Good or bad, craft tends to rely more heavily on the mechanical end of the creative process – that is, the physical act of making something. In part two; I made my attempt at defining “art”, or more specifically, ” fine art”. Ambiguous terms such as the word “art”, are almost impossible to define in a concise way. That is why I believe the ambiguity of these...
read moreFine Art – Concept gives Longevity
Art vs. Craft – part two In part one of Art vs. Craft; I covered what craft is considered to be when working in mediums like glass or wood. I have been making what some people refer to as art glass and art glass sculpture for quite some time now. As an artist, sculptor, designer, and glass blower most of my life, I have seen and heard the word “art” used and attributed to more things than almost any other word I know… but what makes something art, or what is sometimes called “fine art“? Fine...
read moreIs it Art or Craft? – Does it Matter?
Art vs Craft – part one As the studio glass movement has matured, the debate over what is craft and what is art seems clearer. My perception of this divide has influenced my approach with sculpture and working with glass as a medium. I’ll start with the craft end of things since manipulating a material is usually the first thing one does while learning something like glass blowing or woodworking. Craft – Technique driven, it’s that simple… or is it? Making an object that is driven by the pursuit of perfect...
read moreSocial Media – Art is not fast enough
I’m not sure if social media has a good or negative effect on art. A graphic design instructor once said to me, “To have effective advertising art, an eight year old should be able to figure out all the information in about five seconds.” He then said, “Fine art is something you spend more time with to fully appreciate.” Social media is socializing at sixty miles per hour. Information comes at us on a fast moving tech conveyor belt. You blink and you just missed the latest cat video… because that was so...
read moreAuthor: Bernard Katz
Bernard Katz is a contemporary art glass designer, sculptor, and creative problem solver. 
