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aking inspiration from his global travels, and wonderful sunsets. Before I studied buying a mews studio in Tulse Hill in 2013.
London-based American Michael Ruh glass-blowing, I spent time in Germany, Now we can walk or cycle to work.
Thas been producing glassware for more Spain and Morocco. Throughout that time,
than two decades. His beautiful hand-blown my eyes were like sponges, soaking up the What is your typical day? In the summer,
vases, jugs, vessels and pendant lights can colour and texture of the landscape. I arrive at the studio by 6am so that I can get
now be found at retailers such as Selfridges, underway before it gets too hot, as temperatures
The New Craftsmen, Contemporary Applied Can you tell us about your collaboration can reach up to 43 degrees once the furnace
Arts and The Conran Shop. with Natascha Wahl? I met German-born is on. Together with my assistant, Adriana,
Natascha at a workshop I attended in Belgium I prepare the colours we’ll be using, turn on
Tell us about your background. I grew up in and we instantly clicked, plus I enjoyed her the ventilation fans and the annealing oven
Minnesota, Kansas and Colorado. At school, 3D glass design work. Natascha enables and start the heating drum. We’ll often begin
I was known for daydreaming so I wasn’t our creative output. I often have my head by making small pieces, such as drinking
allowed to sit near the window, but looking in the clouds, so she makes sure the bills get glasses, to warm up. Then we move on to
outside was, and is, an aid to my creative paid. We speak in the language of our vocation, coloured or larger pieces. Natascha arrives
thinking. Although I wasn’t good at maths, namely glass, shape and form, and enjoy after taking our daughter to school. After
I understood drawing, colour and shape. doing something we love together. lunch, I continue working, grinding, cutting
and polishing pieces, or packing work.
How did you start glass-blowing? I went to Where do you get your inspiration?
Drake University to study fne art, but didn’t Silence, colour, treeless winter landscapes and Can you describe the making process?
complete the course. Later, I was living in arid plains. I also like harsh illumination, such I carry drawing books for ideas and I’ll often
Belgium and I decided to attend the open day as neon light in parking garages. Sometimes start a design by cutting big sheets of stiff
of a local applied arts school. There, I made I’m drawn to wood or crumpled paper and paper to create the desired shape. The studio’s
my frst attempt at glass-blowing – I gathered imagine making utilitarian pieces in glass furnace contains a crucible flled with molten
a bit of glass, blew really hard and managed that evoke the textures of these materials. glass. I gather it on the end of a long metal
to make a blob the size of a golf ball. After When Natascha and I set up our studio in pipe, shape it with tools known as blocks and
that I was hooked and enrolled on a course. 2004, we travelled around America, enjoying infate the gob of glass by blowing air into the
the plains of New Mexico and dodging pipe. I reheat the gob, infate it more, and
How have your travels infuenced your tornadoes in Indiana. It was a magical time begin to shape the bubble with various hand
work? Kansas, and the rest of the American and we were inspired by the colour, vastness tools made of wood, metal or even pads of
Midwest, is underrated for its natural beauty and chronology of our travels. newspaper kept constantly wet. The vessel is
continually heated and moulded in repetitive
How did your current studio come about? steps to obtain the desired shape before being
We’ve lived in West Dulwich for nearly 20 transferred to a punty rod so it can be further
years in between extended travels. At frst, opened and fnished. It takes many years of
we rented studio time in and around London, practice to be able to make even the simplest
or spent a few months in upstate New York, objects well. The process requires hard work,
making work for our shows in the US. Slowly, concentration, strength and patience.
but steadily, we built our practice and our
clientele, renting a space in 2004 before What are your future plans? We are
working on more product development, as
it’s an area we fnd really interesting. We’ve
also been exploring lighting further – it would
be great to start creating large-scale pieces
as part of a collaboration. My dream is to
conceive an environment with glass and
lighting that leaves an impression on the
viewer, just like the many geographical
environments that have so inspired us. l
Michael Ruh, michaelruh.com.

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