In this month’s instalment of our Featured Glass Artist series, Andrew Tischler is giving away a beautiful pendant. Enter to win below.
Andrew Tischler of Andrew Tischler Glass took the first steps into glassmaking in 2008 at the age of 19. His father had signed him and his siblings up for a week-long flameworking class at Peters Valley School for Craft, but if it wasn’t for that family outing, Andrew would’ve never pursued glass artistry. These days, he’s ecstatic that he did. A professional in the space for over 14 years, he’s had plenty of time to explore and experiment, unlocking his art style and creating unique, psychedelic designs.
His designs all feature intricate details and unique patterns that come from a highly refined technique. Andrew prefers to also utilize a natural color palette, drawing inspiration from things like the coloring on beetle elytra, whirlpools, galaxies, and even the stunning subtle textures found in the patterns on leaves. Every piece of his art is a reflection of the Visionary Art tradition, which attempts to share rare, profound and ultimately true experiences of reality with everyone.
“Making something out of glass is more like watching an organism grow than most artistic processes. You always start with basic components and follow each step toward the final form. You can’t always erase, cover over, or redo a step – it all has to unfold in its natural order. In that way it is a very mindful activity,” he said. “Each piece teaches you a thing or two about what you are doing right and wrong. If you pay attention to the material and learn from it, you can explore endlessly – never getting the same thing twice.”
Andrew started out by making push-mushroom pendants, and lots of them. But ever since, he’s laser-focused on creating mind-blowing marbles and pendants with a heady, psychedelic twist that you can view on his Instagram page. With almost 15 years mastering his craft, Andrew’s works are pure art and capture all of the senses in unique, interpersonal ways.
“I feel I am always in collaboration with the material. Unlike the doodles I did in which I was responsible for making every mark on the page, the glass provided its own details and features. Learning to use those innate features of the glass makes for an exciting outcome in every piece, even for the one doing the creating. Each morning feels like Christmas as I open my kiln following a hard day’s work,” he said.
While the glassblowing scene in his hometown of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania is small, a huge interest in Andrew’s art as well as flameworking as a trade is growing. Even after being at it for so long, Andrew is still eager to learn more and explore new areas of the glassmaking scene.
“I still have some learning to do before I can call myself a proficient functional glass maker,” he said. “But I try my hand at dry pipes once in a while. Eventually I would like to take on the challenge of making more conceptual pieces. Perhaps sculptures and wall hangings.”
“Rather than merely a description of the psychedelic state, I believe this is a description of what we all truly long to find in reality itself. I try to make work which brings those high ideals down into our day to day experience, as a reminder of them.” You can browse all of Andrew Tischler’s works and take a deeper look into his beliefs on fractal glass on his website.
