Tatoosh 2009

Lino Tagliapietra made this object, Tatoosh, out of glass using the techniques of Murano glassblowing. It's all about process, isn't it? A lot like painting, you have to be able to respond to the material, let it guide you. The textures here are incredible. It's smooth but there's so much going on with the lines, that you want to touch it. Look at the place where the form narrows to the top, the lines compress and the colour deepens into this bright cerulean blue. The colour is so alive! The way the light catches it, it feels like a living thing. Tagliapietra was a master of glass, and it's interesting to see how he picked up the torch from earlier masters and passed it on to new ones. Art is a conversation, after all, and in the best art, you can hear the echoes of the past and the whispers of the future.