Eric Cohen's fascination with glass
blowing began during the summer before his freshman year.
So when he arrived at Union — where
there was no formal glass blowing program in the Visual
Arts Department — he was determined to create his own
program.
He began by setting up a studio in
Schenectady during the spring term of his sophomore year.
From there he approached his sculpture professor, Chris
Duncan, with a proposal to do an independent sculptural
exploration of glass and steel.
“Glass is an exceptional medium
because you get to work with it in its different
states,” Cohen says. “You start with a solid
and work with a liquid only to return it to the original
state, but the new shape is one that I have created.
“It is also important to
understand that a piece that took hours to blow can
easily break with one careless slip of the hand,” he
continues. “It is a real test of patience.”
Cohen took time away from his studio
last August to intern with the Amses Cosma Co. near New
York City. There, he observed techniques for mixing and
formulating colors, creating molds that were later cast
into sconces (decorative lighting fixtures), etching, and
sandblasting. The highlight of the experience was working
on the restoration of a synagogue in the heart of New
York City, a project that gave him experience with his
minor in art history.
“There are many techniques to
blowing glass,” he says. “I have so much to
learn and that is exciting.”
Now in his junior year, Cohen has moved
far beyond the first independent study. Last fall, he
traveled to Chicago for SOFA (the Sculpture Objects
Functional Art Exposition), viewing gallery exhibitions
from artists around the world and attending a lecture
that discussed several techniques that were new to him.
He knew that he wanted to pursue a new style, soft glass,
which allows vibrant color variation and is frequently
used in functional pieces such as chandeliers or sconces.
He took advantage of the break between the first and
second term to start learning technique.
So where did Eric develop this thirst
for the arts? Apparently, it runs in the family. His
sister, Nina '97, was an art history major and now works
for a gallery in New York City. And his first artistic
inspiration came from his late grandmother, a sculptor
devoted to stone carving. Her creations were part of the
Cohen household and she fostered his interest in
three-dimensional forms, Cohen says.