Nick Mount

Glass sculptor

©Golotta Photography

Expressive glass sculptures

Nick has worked with fire and glass since 1974
He set up his own studio and has taught for almost five decades
His sculptural works emphasise variations in colour, form and texture

Nick Mount defies any expectation of what glass should look like, offering a softness that looks full of movement. The forms he crafts result from manipulating molten glass at the end of a long blowpipe, which he constantly turns, giving shape through this movement and his breath. Nick uses traditional glass-making tools, unchanged for thousands of years. In his 50 years of practice, Nick has created sculptural compositions by using a soffietta made by Carlo Doná, shears made by his friend Jeff Lindsay to cut the molten glass, tweezers to pull the glass, wooden tongs and paddles, and moulds made from cherry, plum, and apple wood.

Interview

How did you find glass as an art form?: I was introduced to glass blowing by the American glass artist Richard Marquis, who had worked at the renowned Venini factory in Murano in 1969. He came to Australia in the early 1970s to demonstrate glassblowing. I liked the studio environment and the characters involved.
What study did you undertake to pursue your career?: I began studying and training in private studios, followed by observations in factories, and then immersing myself in my own diverse studio practice. The glass art scene in the 1970s felt very institutional, but it was a foundation for developing a small private studio culture.
What is your making process?: Each new work grows from the last piece in a natural evolution. A worthy craft grows from a fusion of three equally important elements: the integrity of the raw material, the understanding and acknowledgement of the traditions of the process, and the individuality infused by the maker.
Why do you teach and pass on your knowledge?: I like my teaching process to reflect the character and interest of the trainee in an attempt to make the material a fully integrated part of their own journey. If you want to take up glass art, observe and immerse yourself with passion and be diverse.

Nick Mount is a master artisan: he began his career in 1974 and he started teaching in 1977