As a print-maker I was used to spending money on inks and paper. If I really wanted to scale up I would buy beautiful Japanese handmade paper. I used shina wood, a kind of Japanese bass wood, very soft. Sometimes I had to replace my tools. When I began thinking about making a large column in cast glass in the Czech Republic I began getting prices on my project. When the prices came in I almost fell out of my chair! The column would cost as much as a car! Should I make it and follow my vision? How? I decided to take out a loan at the bank and I was honestly shaking. It seemed to be the craziest thing I had done in my life. I had just turned 60 and that certainly figured into my decision. Just do it I told myself ! what have you got to lose ! So I borrowed the money, contacted the studio, and booked a trip to The Czech Republic for 5 weeks in October, 2013. I knew nothing about glass but I would sculpt the column on four pieces of wood in clay. Working in clay was familiar, I had created depth in wood through the woodblock prints. I knew my subject matter was global warming and how it effected the animals. I was excited, a bit clueless and nervous at the same time.
Barrie Kaufman
