I view glass in the sense that you are changing people’s
consciousness and emotions with color,” said Holmes.“Color
does that, like music, it can make you happy or sad depending on how
you are putting it together. What we try to do here is put it
together so that people really do feel stronger, healthier, and just
more in tune.”
Holmes has also practiced Aikido for eighteen years, a Japanese
martial art that traces its lineage to the Samurai. Holmes is a
second-degree black belt and teaches Aikido twice a week at the
International Karate Association (IKA) dojo.This particular
discipline and his own spiritual beliefs are the basis of his
creations.“It’s about uplifting people and letting them see
that there is magic here. Aikido for me is the ability to flow in the
harmony with waves of light, and that’s what we are trying to do
with glass, it’s all the same to me,” said Holmes.
“I don’t see any difference between Aikido, glassblowing,
going for a run, it’s all the practice, trying to harmonize with
that sacred energy called life. ”Holmes’ wife, Jo, walks
out to the rocks where Marty is sitting with the sun on his
shoulders. The two met fourteen years ago over a pool table in Estes
Park and they bounce off each other like atoms in a chamber. The
couple has a son, Elijah, who is eight, and recently the whole family
was flown to Florida to present and hang a commissioned installation
in a private home.
“It was really amazing,” said Jo. “We are hoping to do
another installation in Arkansas in June of next year and we’re
looking at doing one in Alaska.”The couple is moving in the
direction of making large pieces for homes, and this has been made
possible in part because of their website. “We are in over 450
galleries and museums across the country and internationally.
We’ve been doing this for 12 years and this is the first full
year that we haven’t had to do any shows, “ said Jo.
“We were doing about fourteen shows a year, and that’s a
fairly light schedule for art shows. Most artists who do art shows
average 20 to 25 shows a year. It’s great to be able to be here
at home and spend more time with Elijah.”
The studio itself is tidy and full of personality. In one corner
shelves reach the ceiling and are full of carefully stacked,
mesmerizing pieces of Marty’s work. The late afternoon light
streaming through the windows illuminates the pieces, and vibrant
colors caress and engage the imagination. The heat given off from the
ovens where Marty does his work is formidable and makes the eyes
sting. Marty’s apprentice is drilling a hole in what will become
someone’s very beautiful sink. Water pours over it in a steady
stream to keep the glass from shattering.
Music plays from the stereo, and the television is on the Discovery
channel. “Right now I’m studying ions. I’m really
interested in all this stuff we are seeing for the first time, and
just how large this cosmos is-or how small with a microscope- and how
that relates to glass. The telescope uses glass and the microscope
uses glass, and through glass you can see things better,” said Holmes.
You can learn more about this interesting artist by calling the
studio at (970) 577-1546
or by visiting their website at www.whiteelks.com/
