Earth, fire and even a bit of wind become a visual melody in
Holmes' hands. The glassblower imparts his spiritual beliefs in
each creation, from small, ornamental orbs to cremation urns
to yard-wide sculptures that turn plain walls into explosions of
color. In his studio, tucked among the pines and crags of Glen Haven
near Estes Park, he takes a blob of clear, molten glass the
consistency of honey, adheres it to the end of a 5-foot-long pipe and
begins a dance that soon becomes choreographed chaos. As the Dave
Matthews Band lyrics "and the colors mix together" blasts
from the speakers, Holmes begins his labor. Pipe and glass are
alternately twirled, dipped in colored glass fragments, placed into a
"glory hole" where the temperature rises to 2,400 degrees,
puffed out with air, daubed with gold leaf, and shaped with wooden
and metal tools. The result is pure magic.
How did your passion for glassblowing develop? I was a carpenter for
many years until I blew out my knee playing basketball. Beginning in
1991, I apprenticed for four years with several glassblowers. I've
always been an artist, always been interested in being human and what
it means to be alive, and being able to communicate that. I started
out with really small, really bad objects, but it got me out into the
public, and I learned how to use color. I use the pieces to convey an
image and emotion. My mission as an artist is to help bring people
together. I want to convey that we're all part of God's creation,
that we're all sacred and precious, no matter what religion.
Where do you find inspiration? Yoga is a major cause in my life. It
corresponds with glass in the way it moves and bends. I have a
second-degree black belt in aikido, and that plays a big part too
because it's about blending with the ways the universe moves. Through
looking at nature, whether a fish, a tree, a person or a face, there
is a certain quality that we call "beauty." It just so
happens that this beauty can be expressed through numbers and
proportions ... the Fibonacci numbers. Through looking honestly and
working with nature, I try to blend with this pattern in my work. I
made "Dried Rose" after looking at a dried rose and its
meaning of undying love. The Constellation series came from space
images from the Hubble telescope, and the Healing Waters series was
inspired by the ocean in the Caribbean. I'm inspired by individuals
and people too and their ideas.
Do you have favorite pieces? There's such an exuberance you feel with
the big pieces. I want to do those while I am still young and can
carry them. Wedding goblets are special because they feel very intimate.
How did you get the name White Elk? White Elk is a medicine name I
was given during a Navajo ceremony. I've studied (American Indian
culture) quite a bit and have been most interested in the Hopi. They
gave me a great appreciation for
