In 2009, Ferrari commissioned me to create “one-of-a-kind” trophies for the Ferrari Challenge. The production of a large number of works in short period of time was a daunting task for me at the time. However, I quickly discovered and learned from one of the racers…“to truly go fast…I must go slow…”
For the Vetrobottles I used traditional Venetian techniques with canes and encalmo to create spiral patterns in Ferrari’s trademark colors. Initially, I made the Vetrobottles by using tools to shape the form. However, I realized after the first few prototypes that if I just worked with hotter, thinner glass, gravity could achieve the same effects, often even better and more fluid.
By getting the glass so thin and so hot, inevitably I lose pieces, but this is part of the process I've learned to embrace. One of my philosophies in the studio is, “If not breaking enough, I'm not learning enough.”
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