BLOWING MINDS AND GLASS

from Charleston Style & Design Spring 2023 Art Issue

WILLIAM R. BEEBE

James McLeod earns kudos for his unique illuminated sculptures

by ELLEN URIBE / photography by HOLGER OBENAUS

James mcleod fell in love with glassblowing the first time he tried it during his undergraduate studies at the California College of Arts and Crafts in Oakland. “When I was an illustration major in college, I took an elective sculpting class, and it changed my world,” he recalls.

McLeod, who is the founder and creative director of CLEOD Glassworks, which has locations in Charleston as well as Rockport and Essex, Massachusetts, has been generating plenty of buzz over the past few years with his beautifully crafted designs—from simple glassware to spectacular lighting installations.

CLEOD Glassworks combines the ancient art of glassblowing with a modern aesthetic to create products that feature clean lines, pure intention and a thoughtfully curated color palette. All of the products are designed by McLeod and are handmade in Essex, using the finest lead-free crystal.

McLeod is fully immersed in the contemporary glass world and along the way has gleaned inspiration from the likes of German-born American sculptor Eva Hesse, Canadian-born American architect and renowned designer Frank Gehry, and Sir Anish Mikhail Kapoor, a British-Indian sculptor who specializes in installation art. “I look at these heroes of mine and see the beautiful work they have done, and it gives me real inspiration that infuses my work,” McLeod says, adding, “I’m looking at the world of lighting through the lens of a sculptor, and with that, I am interested in form and light and the material properties of glass and how they interact in space.”

McLeod notes that the Charleston store was the result of an extended search to find the best location on the East Coast. “We opened the Charleston location on East Bay and Broad streets in 2020 because we wanted a branded outpost—so we decided on a lighting showroom and retail store. We looked for the ideal location and thought Charleston would be a great fit because it is such an alive and vibrant city,” McLeod says.

The showroom, which features McLeod’s blown glass creations in myriad colors, shapes and designs, specializes in lighting fixtures, the vast majority of which are custom made and one-ofa-kind for commercial or home use. McLeod, who partners in the business with his wife, Libby McLeod, says often they work with the clients on the concept and design, which ensures the process becomes a true collaboration.

“We love the creative aspect of the process,” he says. “Whenever we are designing the next project, we always start with a blank canvas that pushes us creatively. We can work with our clients and design this work together. They can have as little or as much input as they want—then we come up with a basic concept and start to build the piece out.”

Currently on the drawing board for McLeod and his 12 employees is a new marquee restaurant—Azur—in Charleston that promises to be exciting and challenging all at the same. “It was a unique enterprise to undertake such a large installation in a relatively short period of time. This project, which includes 30 custom-designed, handmade fixtures, really pushed us,” he says.

According to McLeod, there are three ways his company usually collaborates—with an architect or design company, with an interior designer or directly with the client. However, when he is working in his studio, it all comes down to McLeod and the talents he has developed as an artist.

“When everything is going well, it can be very relaxing. You get in the flow state, and when you begin to see a personality emerging in the piece, it is such a wonderful feeling,” he says.

A wide variety of blown glass items are for sale in the Charleston store, including bowls, glasses, decorative pieces for the home and a full array of well-priced lighting fixtures. McLeod says he tries to keep things affordable for every budget and has several items that come in at less than $400.

McLeod, who has three children under 7 years of age, has also learned the fine art of multitasking. He still teaches in Boston in his studio as well as at the Massachusetts College of Art and Design, and he also makes monthly trips to Charleston to build his brand in his home away from home.

“My kids have a healthy respect for glass,” McLeod says, adding that his wife works on the customer relations and retail side of the business. “She also is a pro when it comes to multitasking, as she often walks around with a baby in a backpack. I love the fact that CLEOD Glassworks has become a family business. It is not just our livelihood, it is our life.” *

Ellen Uribe is an award-winning journalist and a communications expert. She is a sought-after speaker, participating as a moderator and panelist at numerous industry events, conferences and broadcast outlets. She has contributed to Vanity Fair, Palm Beach Life, The New York Times, Chicago Tribune, Women’s Wear Daily and Time Magazine.

Eye Of The Beholder

Artist Helli Luck explores form through the prism of light

by WENDY SWAT SNYDER

The quality of the light in the Lowcountry—sunrise, sunset and everything in between—is what drives Helli Luck’s passion for painting in the coastal region of South Carolina.

“I painted in Paris a lot before COVID,” says Luck in her soft British accent. “The light here is beautiful, but the light in Paris is amazing. That’s the theme that runs through my art—not the subject or where I am—it’s the light. I’m also a big foodie, so I’d paint all day and go out to a fantastic dinner at night—Charleston is like that too.”

The artist admits the ocean is a draw and that she finds inspiration in the maritime forests and marshes that hug the coastal waterways. And the natural beauty of the Lowcountry plays to her old-school approach to painting: She sets up her easel where she plans to paint—en plein air—and whether it’s on a shoreline or city sidewalk, it’s an approach she’s always taken. Again, she says it’s all about the nature of the light in the moment.

“For me, the light sculpts the image, which allows me to paint three-dimensionally,” says Luck. “The shape where the light and shadow meet provides a way for me to sculpture the piece.”

The London-born artist credits her parents’ propensity for travel abroad for developing her appreciation of the Old Masters. Her pull to the art world was instinctive: At 14, her work was on display in Mall Galleries near Buckingham Palace, putting her on a path to the prestigious Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design in London.

While in school, Luck secured a parttime gig as photographer’s assistant at the multinational ad agency Saatchi and Saatchi in London.

“I specialized in it as part of my degree,” she explains. “But I really wanted to paint and draw to express myself.” Luck advanced there to art director in charge of accounts like British Airways. “I worked with some really nice businesses that took me to really nice places.”

After a stint in Nashville, where her paintings of Charleston’s iconic horse-drawn carriages were especially popular, she found her way to South Carolina and settled in Pawleys Island.

Barely five years later, the Carolina newcomer has secured a solid place in the

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Mount Pleasant, SC artistic community and in 2022 showed her work at Piccolo Spoleto. “It was a great experience and great exposure,” says Luck. “People come to the event from all over the country and Canada, not just to look but to collect—serious buyers. Connecting with them was amazing. Clients are calling me now, and I’m being commissioned to do paintings.”

Luck has experimented with a variety of media and styles over the years and is happiest painting with oils. “The impressionist artists are my favorites,” she says. “Looking at their work gives me pleasure and inspires me to use that style, a painterly method, for self-expression.”

The expat’s repertoire is wide, encompassing life experiences from the Continent to the States—a Parisian café, ballerinas at practice, portraits, still lifes, the hunt and Lowcountry landscapes and the creatures that inhabit them.

“I prefer larger-scale works,” says Luck. “The brushstrokes can be more creative, make more of an impression because the canvas provides more room to move your arm. It’s more freeing to me, and I feel it has more impact.”

Luck’s expansive works are a good fit for many of her clients’ homes. “They’re looking for big art, and that’s what I paint,” she says. “Think of the impact that must make on someone’s wall. It’s more of a statement—feeding into what excites us.”

Luck’s art is exhibited at Brookgreen Gardens in Murrells Inlet, South Carolina, and Stellers Gallery in Jacksonville, Florida. She is represented locally at Wynsum Antiques and Interiors, Lowcountry Artists Gallery and Perspective Gallery, which I visited recently for a viewing of her latest works. I was struck by the action in her paintings, how she captured a moment, a bird in flight—light shimmering on a wing.

“She is one of our most popular artists,” notes Betsy Jones McDonald, fellow artist and Perspective Gallery staffer.

“My goal is to express the excitement of what I see,” says Luck. “To paint what speaks to me in the hopes that the magic translates to the viewer.”

On the horizon: Luck hopes to soon bring to fruition a longdistance French collaboration, unfolding in a novel medium. *

BLOWING MINDS AND GLASS

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This article is from:

Charleston Style & Design Spring 2023 Art Issue