ART OF glass blowing

It has been reported that glass blowing is one of the oldest art forms, if not the oldest art forms in the world. It is unique and delicate, while being a distinct hardy art. So please do not “blow” off enjoying this month’s art and artist!

Tim Lotton comes from a quite prestigious line of glass blowing artists. His grandfather, Charles Lotton, a well known glass blowing artist began the empire of Lotton Art Glass for the next three generations and I am certain that the art will continue pleasing art lovers for years to come.

Charles was instrumental in glass blowing and creating his own style and tools in his backyard.

He included his sons and the next generation of talent with his grandson, Tim. The actual chemistry of the glass is unique to Lotton Art Glass. The special bold, inventive colors, glass components and style are easily identified as Lotton glass worldwide. Tim is especially proud of the attention in the art world and the reputation that his grandfather began and continues today. Charles passed away in 2021, but his talent lives on in Tim and Tim’s dad and uncles.

In my opiunion, glass blowing art is treasured and should be in everyone’s art collection. Tim offers some beautiful vases, display pieces, sculptures and many other extraordinary blown glass pieces. Glass blowing is an art in itself and the magic colors that Tim’s grandfather created and passed the secret down to his sons and grandson has drawn the attention of art collectors all over the world.

Glass blowing is a difficult and magical process. Special pristine sand from select beaches and areas all over the world are used in the melting to create the glass used in glass blowing. Tim follows his grandfather’s traditional talent of mixing unique and bold colors to make the designs and art desired by many. No one else is able to recreate the beauty and pop of Lotton blown glass. The process Tim shared with me is quite special and creates a delicate, yet sturdy art for generations to enjoy. Some pieces may only take Tim a few hours to create while other pieces require days or even longer to complete. Once the project is begun, the many steps to complete it require patience and structure. Tim gets his inspiration from his grandfather, dad and uncles but has created his own niche in the glass blowing world. Vases, structural abstracts, and even sculptures all carry Tim’s unique style and beauty.

The process for Tim, as with all artists starts as a thought or idea in his mind. Many artists share that the mind is the most valuable tool in the toolbox. The visual form begins the art creation. From that idea comes the planning and executing of the idea. Gather the materials, plan the colors, melt the sand with the necessary components to create a pristine glass. Mix the fluxes with the sand to create the beautiful designs. Glass blowing requires the knowledge of layering. The process is not just a simple creation!

I would like to enlighten you on Tim’s path of being an artist. His teen years were spent in countless hours of being mentored by his talented family. But at the young age of eight he had already realized his talent was just as strong as his mentor family and that glass blowing art was also his destiny. His first art projects were paperweights that drew expansive attention. By the time Tim graduated high school, he had begun his artistic pursuits and his art was being exhibited and sold in many prestigious art galleries across the nation.

Glass blowing is a layered art. It requires the understanding of melting, mixing, annealing, sanding, layering and so much more! While I was mesmerized by Tim’s expertise and knowledge, I was lost in the talent that he exhibits. This is not a kit one can buy at Walmart! The colors that the Lotton family create have such boldness and beauty that I have not seen reproduced by anyone else in the art world. Tim enjoys the challenges that glass blown art provides. The small paperweights to the very large sculptures all share Tim’s unique style that is recognized as a Lotton original, although Tim has his own special “signature” that is easily identified.

He has a private studio that he does not currently open to the public, but his work is exhibited at the Texas Treasures Gallery in Boerne. Texas Treasures is located at 919 State Hwy 46 East, Suite 102. One can contact them at 830-816-5335 during their business hours or view their website at www.texastreasuresfineart. com. Texas Treasures has an entire gallery of talented artists and their art for sale.

Tim has been creating his path to perfection and he has mastered it well. He never turns from a challenge and only sees each project as its value emerges and he quickly fine tunes any steps that he experiences as sharpening his skills. Like most artists, the current is a favorite, but he is always improving what he feels can only make his art better. I found flawless beauty, as does all of his previous and current audience of appreciative art lovers find in Tim Lotton glass blown art.

Tim shared with me that the glass blowing art is traditionally the same as it was 100 years ago with little need to improve the vast majority processes. With the Lotton family influence and design on color formation, the art is expressive and beautiful. Tim is proud of his family’s contribution and proud to continue the continued on page 20 same quality for three generations.

Glass blowing art is most successfully created indoors. It is necessary to control the conditions related to temperature, wind, space, environment and attendance. Tim enjoys music as a motivational aspect, but shared with me that it can also be distracting at times. He assured me that with proper supervision this art is quite suitable for children. He was quite comfortable with his guidance as a child and always felt that he was given the proper understanding of all aspects and instructed in safety continually.

Tim’s art is all over the world. It has been collected by art enthusiasts from the United States to Singapore to South Korea and more. This makes it even more important to own a piece of Tim Lotton glass blown art now. Make your plans to visit the Texas Treasures Gallery soon. Tim offers some commissioned pieces, but one must contact him for a consultation first. He sees his joy in his art collector fans faces when they clamor for his work. His goal is to share his talent with the world making them happy with his glass art. Tim has an Instagram that can be found @TimothyLottonGlassWorks.

Tim’s work ranges from traditional to contemporary and everyone can find a treasured beauty for themselves. A very unique fact about Tim that I found out is that he creates his own sand and his art is completely from “scratch” so to speak. He creates the glass, the colors, the entire piece of art is Tim Lotton completely.

So if you need to add some excitement to your art collection or even your life…just “blow” up some excitement and look through the looking “glass” for your own beautiful art magic. Tim can brighten your world with his uplifting talent of blowing glass art pieces. Glass blowing is an art as old as time, so do not let time blow away before you get yours…the sands of time are slipping away.

BOERNE PERFORMING ARTS has announced its 2024 Season

The 12th Year of Boerne Performing Arts will include a Three-Concert Series for 2024 and a Special Event taking place at the end of 2023. Artists from around the world include Time for Three, The Swingles, Drum Tao and Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain. Currently, Special Event tickets for Time for Three are available only with the purchase of 2024 Season Tickets. Single event tickets will go on sale November 1, 2023. Season Tickets are now available to order at www.BoernePerformingArts.com.