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Gifted with Glass: An Interview with Artist Ben Young

Compelled to create both realistic and abstract
artworks, Ben Young traded in his 15-year career building boats to focus all of
his attention on working with glass. Young is a modest, gifted and und

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[dropcap class=”kp-dropcap radius”]C[/dropcap]ompelled to create both realistic and abstract artworks, Ben Young traded in his 15-year career building boats to focus all of his attention on working with glass. Young is a modest, gifted and undeniably inspirational and multi-talented man. Drawing much of his inspiration from nature with an emphasis on the sea, he composes blissfully celestial glass sculptures that cause one’s imagination to drift off into a perplexing combination of the familiar and the nostalgic. When examining each piece you get a sense that they are a product of an intimate relationship and profound love shared between artist and ocean. His experience building boats for so many years and surfing whenever he gets the chance have deepened his love and respect of that massive and mysterious watery realm that covers most of our planet. CULTURE was honored to sit down and pick Young’s brain about inspiration, and take a sneak peek at what goes on inside such an unusual and interesting creator’s brain.

Tell us a little bit about yourself and your work.

I am a self-taught artist originally from a little coastal town in New Zealand called Waihi Beach. I now reside in Sydney, Australia and have set up my glass studio out of my garage at home. I was trained as a boat builder and worked in that field for about 15 years. Glass was just a hobby on the side until a few years ago when I decided to pour all my energy into my art—full time. It has been the most satisfying thing I have done and the response I have had so far has been really overwhelming.

Where do you find peace?

Most definitely in or near the ocean. As soon as I paddle out to surf, I forget about everything else and just focus on the waves. Not only is it peaceful, but it is refreshing and gives me a whole new lease on life.

How do you know when an artwork is done?

I guess my art is actually quite technical and follows a rigid process in terms of completing steps in order to finish the piece. The planning stage is the most difficult and I usually work through my creative process on paper before I even touch the actual glass. Once the piece is designed, it is a step-by-step process so there is never a question for me about whether it is done or not, which I consider to be a good thing.

youg1What inspires you?

I take inspiration from all aspects of my life, growing up by the sea, being a boat builder, loving nature and exploring regularly. I think those inspirations are all pretty apparent in my work. The glass tends to lend itself well to portraying water, so my work has steered towards ocean and geographic concepts lately. I am also inspired by construction and innovative techniques.

What are your thoughts on medicinal cannabis?

I am completely for medicinal cannabis. If it is noticeably helping someone with an illness, it should be legal!

What does the ocean signify to you?

The ocean signifies many different things to me such as freedom, fun, home, danger and in a way complete insignificance as it can also be a reminder of how vulnerable we are to nature.

Do you use art as a form of communication? If so, what are you trying to communicate? 

I guess if people take anything away from my pieces I would hope people take away the beauty of nature and the delicacy of our environment. I was lucky enough to once be offered a huge amount of recycled glass from an old greenhouse. I loved the idea that the glass had once been used to house life and wanted to use it to create life again.

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