Following in his father's footsteps, artist Christian Arnold shares how he became one of Australia's finest glass artists.
 | | Xenomorph Marble - Christian Arnold |
Born in Heidelberg, a village nestled in the German countryside, Christian Arnold migrated to Australia with his family when he was 13. While glass had always played a part in Chris' life, the love affair began in 1990 when his father, an accomplished scientific glass blower, took him under his wing.
"I never thought I would end up a glassblower," says Chris. "My father took me under his tutelage in 1990 at a time when I was at a crossroads and at a loss of what to do. It was the best thing that ever happened to me in glass because it gave me a solid grounding in technique," Chris explains. "My father taught me the way he was taught and he was a very strict task master,"
Not allowed to progress to the next technique until the previous was mastered, Chris concedes that it was a difficult way to learn, but it certainly had its benefits. "I'm glad I was taught this way," he says. "Unless you're a natural genius with glass - and I haven't met one yet - repetition is the only way you're going to get good at something."
 | | Idolomantis - Christian Arnold |
In 1995, Chris moved away from scientific glass. Encouraged by his mother to nurture his self-expressive nature, he began using coloured glass and in 2002 graduated from RMIT with a Masters in Glass/Fine Art.
Even with a Masters degree under his belt, Chris feels that the education never ends. "Once the work process becomes second nature you can free yourself from all this technique and concentrate on developing other aspects, such as developing concept," he explains.
According to Chris, mastering techniques is something that few people who work with glass take the time to do. "A lot of the time there is a lack of patience and people will jump from technique to technique without truly understanding what it is they're doing, mastering nothing," he says. "It's like jumping into painting abstract figures without first learning how to paint a figure from life,"
However, this dedication to learning has served Chris well. "After more than 20 years doing glass, I still learn new things on almost a daily basis," he says. "That's what I love about working with glass; the scope is infinite," he adds.
 | | Biohazard Chant - Christian Arnold |
Now living in North Fitzroy, Victoria, with his partner Laurie Young, a dog, two cats and an aviary full of birds, Chris draws inspiration from the world around him. "Laurie and I travel a lot, we engage with
the cultures we visit and I always find that very rewarding," he points out. "We also share a passion for scuba diving and draw a lot of inspiration from that."
Other sources of inspiration for Chris are historic, archaeological and anthropological in nature. "I generally take inspiration from wherever I can get it. I'm a bit of a loose cannon that way," he explains. "Sometimes I have a dream and the next day I go and make it. When I have a completely free hand to make what I choose to it really comes down to making something that pleases me. So when someone tells me they don't like my work I always reply that I make it for myself and that it's ok for them not to like it," he reasons.
Once inspiration strikes, Chris refines his idea enough to bring glass into it. "I've dropped the practice of sketching and drawing on paper, which was so important back at uni, because I'm finally at a stage where I can translate ideas in my head directly into glass," he says. "I'm a very visual person. When an idea forms in my head, I generally start looking at images, though I stay away from looking at anything made from glass when I'm researching because I know it will find its way into my work subconsciously and I'd rather not start making someone else's work," he explains.
When the image is firmly implanted in his mind, Chris then gets to work. He uses a variety of tools but ultimately feels that all you really need is your torch and the glass. "Glass itself can be the best tool in a lot of situations," he says. "Tools just allow you to get things done faster or more precisely and accurately."
 | | Nymph & Faun - Christian Arnold |
Chris primarily works with borosilicate because that was what he was trained in. "Borosilicate is advantages as well as its weaknesses," he explains. And, to ensure he doesn't limit his creativity, he uses a wide variety of colours and media. "Glass itself is a mixed media insofar as glass can be made to mimic a lot of different things such as marble, rusted metal, wood, bone and ceramics, just to name a few," Chris explains. "The next step is a small one - to include other materials in an object. My favourite thing about mixing up various media is that they can be used to offset each other. Glass can be made smooth and shiny and juxtaposing it with rough, natural materials can highlight that," he says.
Chris sells his work all over the world - in Japan, Germany, the UK and the USA - but his main gallery is the Kirra Gallery in Melbourne, Australia. He has work at the Kobe Lampworking Museum in Kobe, Japan, as well as the Glass Museum in Wertheim, Germany. He pins his success on his father's influence on his learning, as well as other early to mid 20th century artists such as Salvador Dali, and his own dedication to mastering new techniques.
But for those just starting out in glass, Chris has a warning. "Be careful. You will love it, you will get obsessed, and you will dream about it so be prepared for that!" he says. "I don't know anyone who,once started, has ever not loved doing it. It's one of those things that is with you all your life. It's a job, it's a passion, it's a hobby, and it's a love affair. After 21 years I'm still in love with glass!"
 | | Plasma Chandelier - Christian Arnold |
Chris advises beginners to start with bead-making as it's an unintimidating way to get a good introduction into working with glass without having to invest in equipment straight of the bat. And he suggests a healthy dose of patience, perseverance and dedication for those who want to pursue glass in a serious way.
"It helps to be disciplined enough to master one technique before moving on to the next as this will build up a rock solid foundation for you, it's time well spent and you will never regret having gone about it this way," Chris explains. "Always keep in mind that mastering technique is the needle and imagination is the thread. If there's an absence of either one of those it's difficult to make stitches." You can see more of Christian's work at his website Nudibranch Art Glass |
