Thaddeus Wolfe’s Cutting Edge
As a designer-artist-craftsman, Thaddeus Wolfe is a man of many talents, but his work centers on a singular technique—a unique molding process that combines one-of-a-kind plaster casts and expert glassblowing. Wolfe’s much sought-after vessels and lamps have popped up in design shops and art fairs, and next month he will have his first solo show at R & Company in New York. Wolfe offered us a sneak peek at his work in progress.
Thaddeus Wolfe’s “New Work” opens September 8 at R & Company.
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Wolfe in his East Williamsburg studio.
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“Before this, I was making functional, design-y objects. I couldn’t sell anything. Finally, I started working with Matter and made the first set of these Assemblages for them. The process developed from there.”
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“I made this sketch a while ago of the show. I like to keep things simple.”
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“The show will be a culmination of how I’ve been working with this process for the past four years. It will represent the furthest developments of the technique.”
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“As much as I can, I try to get outdoors. In the last couple of years, I’ve become interested in looking at and identifying mushrooms. I want to use this pattern, I just haven’t figured out how to do it”
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“Creating the foam forms is my favorite part. It’s very rough and direct.”
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“When I’m making a lamp, the emphasis is on how the light will filter through the glass.”
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“I try not to procrastinate. Some days are better than others.”
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“My process is such that there are a lot of lost pieces. I like to keep them as color samples.”
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“I make sure they can all hold water. But recently, I feel like it is less and less important. I just like that they are vessels with an interior and an exterior.”
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“The way I tend to work is very intuitive.”
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“Some people call my pieces sculptures, as if craft isn’t good enough. I call them vases or vessels. They don’t need to be mislabeled.”
