Searching for Tactile Quality – Textured Glass Series by Craftsman Jochen Holz

UK-based glass artist Jochen Holz has been on my radar for a long time and today I wanted to highlight his ‘Textured’ glass series. Here he has made a number of vessels using clear glass that are then pressed against unique surfaces, materials such as perforated metal or burnt wood, while still in the molten glass stage to give a variation in surface texture.

It’s interesting that Jochen is looking to create more of a tactile quality to the glass, one that would offer more movement and intrigue in the hand. This is a difficult quality to achieve as we are so honed to look at objects shaped symmetrically, so seeing something off-kilter might throw your eye off. I suppose that’s part of the magic when it comes to handmade objects, mixing this with a unique sense of design Jochen is producing work that’s definitely unique.

In a short interview I read online with Jochen he talks about not being too involved with the glass community and finding it stifling for his work. This is something I’ve heard quite a few makers say recently and I think it speaks to some of the old traditional values in these crafts. I’m certainly pleased to see a maker like Jochen look at the craft of glass with new eyes and give us a fresh interpretation of this beautiful material. I can’t wait to see what else he manipulates from glass in the near future. Here are a few photos from his portfolio, more can be seen on his website linked below.

jochenholz.com

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