Artist: Larry "Lars" Mack
A recent TV ad shows a man wearing his lucky headband and while on his computer, he reached retirement. Well, December of 2014, I did the same. Instead of spending most of my time in the studio doing production work, I now create works that have been tucked away in my brain for years. Putting together blown glass, vintage items, welding steel, incorporating wood, accenting with stone and tooling copper have given me a tremendous boost in the expansion of my work.
In 2016, I added a new series called "I Saw a Tree" wall sculpture. i take vintage hand saws, take them apart, clean them, hand cut a tree shape with a plasma cutter and reassemble. Each one is unique and comes with a brief history of the saw.
I am proud of the different ways that I have used in my career to be different from other glass artists. I have licensed more than 17 of my works, created 3 copyrights on some of my pieces, sold my work in over 150 galleries/shops in the US and Canada, setup an IRA for retirement and did it by making a living at enjoying creating art.
Now, in 2020, I have taken additional steps in downsizing my career as an artist. I have no plans of retirement because what I do is not a job, it just requires a lot of physical stamina that I no longer have.
I will continue to create my work at Fire Nation, a studio/gallery which is owned by Matt Paskiet, one of the areas most skillful and creative glass blower.
I remain a member of the Ohio Designer Craftmens, an organization for artists that has been a great asset of mine being a working artist.
Finally, the number one gallery that has helped me the most throughout my career has been Collectors Corner at the Toledo Museum of Art. Their continuous efforts since 1998 to offer my works all these years, has my sincere gratitude for keeping me off the starving artist list.
Should you have any questions, feel free to contact me through Facebook or email.
