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.”
