You gotta check this out - David Willis Profile

[Icarus]

Doesn't look like it will load into the video tag here, but you gotta take a look at this:

http://watch.opb.org/video/2330386861/

Well worth the 5 minutes.

[TlkQ]

He must have one helluva kiln for that giant ass heart

[Greymatter Glass]

love the smooooooth jazzy intro

[rvp117]

Hey Guys,
Head over to CMOG Ustream tomorrow and check out this amazing artist!

[mer]

David is Ana amazing artist and a truly genuine person. as an outsider to the pipe industry we've included him in a number of dfo judges pools. he has a demure way of delivering objective reviews. I believe that he is one of the few old school artists that associates with the pipe world out of a will to help us up, not just because of our moment in the spotlight.

[daveabr]

No doubt an amazing artist, with some real vision. He came by my booth at GAS in Seattle a few years ago. Seemed like a really nice, humble fella too.

[FizZle]

What a boss...good post icky

[sasch74]

Thanks for sharing Icarus!

[mellofello]

God damn! Thanks for the link that guys work is amazing. I don't even get how that heart is in one piece, don't see how he would take it off the hangers and get it in a kiln.

I was wondering the same thing with the frit pictures, looks like he uses a spray glue to hold it together?

[themoch]

holy crap his studio...


makes me want it real bad

[Loki Glass]

For some reason the video won't play for me on firefox?

I found this though, thought I'd also share. I couldn't ever imagine working on such a large sale.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6PRZKvcQdHE&list=PLConK8uE5urblIYlTllT3pfcNbE8F4S1o

[KLAW]

Wow...thats amazing...you gotta love his laided back attitude and perspectives on things. Does anyone know if those tiny little white flowers he was making are boro or soft glass? What about some of his other medium to bigger stuff like the nature or other botanical themed pieces? I don't know much about furnace worked glass like his big dandelions in the second video, what about those? Do they use boro in furnace work like that? I know boro is fairly new compared to other type glasses, so do furnace workers still use one of the other more original type glasses or did most switch to something else semi-newer like boro? I've always loved furnace worked stuff like that because it reminds me of the original beginnings of glass work, and have always wanted to try it but with some medical issues I have I don't know if I would have the strength...especially on huge stuff like that! And the big bent over tree with all the moss and little fern shoots growing out of it back behind his studio I think it was, talk about natural inspiration! That's one beautiful piece of nature's art all by itself right there...

[glassdocnc]

Very cool. Thanks for sharing!

[vetropod]

Wow! Thanks for sharing!!!

[Bglass]

So awesome and inspirational. Love seeing glass artists use as many different medias as possible to create thier Vision.

I thought this guy lived in eugene, but then I heard he moved to portland? Little did I know and now come to find out this dude is now in my turf! Glad to have him tho and he makes stuff I never could even dream of making. Washougal is 20min from me. Washougal river is the best swimming and floating river in SW wasington. Absolutely love it out there, almost bought a house out there myself but the drive was too far for us. Hands down the best place to have a studio. I've dreamed for ten years to have his exact studio!!! Right off the columbia in the awesome gorge. Lucky dogg!!!

[davidwillisglass]

Thank all of you guys, I'm seriously touched by all of the kind words. I'm out in corning teaching a class and its 1am and I have to crash but will get back soon and try to answer all of the above questions. Thanks for posting this thread Icarus. And as and aside I guess I'm a new school old schooler, my first flameworking teacher was the great Bob Snodgrass ("it's supposed to be fun")... then Parramore ("know your heat") and Pilchuck and many more. I feel seriously blessed, and thankful, and love what I do. More soon, peace.

[misled youth]

major props! very very impressive!

[rvp117]

Dang! I over slept! It must have been 11am eastern!

[kbinkster]

Fantastic video and such beautiful work!

[glassdocnc]

Thank all of you guys, I'm seriously touched by all of the kind words. I'm out in corning teaching a class and its 1am and I have to crash but will get back soon and try to answer all of the above questions. Thanks for posting this thread Icarus. And as and aside I guess I'm a new school old schooler, my first flameworking teacher was the great Bob Snodgrass ("it's supposed to be fun")... then Parramore ("know your heat") and Pilchuck and many more. I feel seriously blessed, and thankful, and love what I do. More soon, peace.

How cool is that? One of the reasons TMP rocks is how much information is freely shared here. Thank you and rep to you sir.

[AlexSchmalex]

Great videos, and inspiration. Thanks!

[T-Rex]

I'm pretty sure he doesn't anneal that giant heart, which is why he is repairing it all the time. Maybe he'll clarify that later though.

I'm also wondering about the gigantic frit panels - those obviously have to get fused somehow. Damn! If that's Bullseye there's gotta be over $1000 in just frit alone!

I liked the part: "Usually when I work I'm alone, so I think about everything a lot"

I hear ya man! Just try to stop all that thinking - that's the real trick!

[rvp117]

Ya know there is a guy in Nashville, that does large panels using enamels on copper. He uses a huge torch similar to a hotshop burners to heat the copper and adhere the enamel. But,

I wonder what he uses as an adhesive for the frit/powder.

[davidwillisglass]

I'm going to have to answer in a couple of posts... Having a minute after breakfast and before my class starts.

I use acrylic polymer to bind the powder on the paintings. I use all kinds of glass color, whatever I can get, whatever I have that is in the color palette I need... Northstar, Alchemy, Uroboros, but mostly Bullseye.
I anneal the heart, but not too often it is a big pain in the ass. I use the cart it's on as the annealer these days, wrap it in frax and put in gas burners.

I have to get back to the first page to see more of those questions to answer them.

I'm on instagram as davidwillisglass and post lots of images of what i'm working on, other glass, and plants and stuff.

More later, have a great day.

dw

The little white flowers (and all of my flowers) are out of boro.

[LowTideGlass]

Love your instagram feed, David. I see why your art is so inspired by nature, what beauty surrounds you!

[davidwillisglass]

I re-read the first page and think I've answered all of the questions... If not let me know.

The large glass flowers in the Tacoma Museum video were made with soft glass. We used 5000 lbs of glass in the 5 day residency... Cheaper and easier to use soft glass, melts faster (cheaper) and at lower temp. (furnaces last longer), holds it's heat and stays soft longer (works easier, less chill marks) etc. I would love to get over to Czech and see their boro furnaces sometime but there is not that scale of borosilicate glass furnaces in this country anymore, and they generally exist in factories rather than in any kind of art-making facility.

Anyway, I'm happy to answer any more questions, although it will be easier for me to do it through my instagram feed (davidwillisglass) because I am kind of cracking out on that and look at it all of the time, and I'm about to be traveling for a bit but will have my phone. I will also check back in here to see if there are more questions.

Also, the live stream demo should be on youtube by Monday.

Thank you all for your interest and compliments.

Best

dw

[KLAW]

Thanks David!!!...
Love your work and attitude man!!! I had always wondered about the type of glass used in Furnace Work and now I know! What about your Torch Flame Worked Stuff? The Little White Tiny Pedal Dot Flowers? Soft Glass Too? Was it different then the other medium to bigger Torch/Flame Worked botanically themed stuff in the videos? Do you ever use other type/C.O.E. glasses in any of your Torch Worked pieces if the two are the same? & The Big Clear stuff like the heart or other 3D...Um...Lattice Type Pieces? Have a Great Day Brotha!!