Jim McKelvey
"Glass is a metaphor for risk. To make a great form, you must work it so hot that any mistake will ruin the piece. As your aim improves, the target continues to move farther away." says McKelvey, artist, instructor, and co-founder of Third Degree Glass Factory.
McKelvey began blowing glass as an undergraduate engineer at Washington University. Upon graduation, he supported himself as an artist while he established Mira Digital Publishing, splitting his time between the corporate and art worlds.
He has studied with dozens of artists but was primarily influenced by the Italian techniques of Lino Tagliapietra and his disciples. "Before there were good classes and textbooks, apprenticing was the only way to learn, so I spent years traveling and working with artists all over the world. I spent many days working with people with whom I couldn't even converse."
McKelvey met Doug Auer at Washington University after giving ademonstration to Auer's class. After class, the two artists discussed the need for a great teaching studio in the Midwest. In the fall of 2001
he and Auer established the Third Degree Glass Factory.
McKelvey has taught glass blowing at Washington University's Art School and Glen Echo National Park in Maryland and presented several workshops in the U.S. and Asia. His work is exhibited nationally. "My specialties are complex shapes made on the blowpipe. I use strong colors and am concerned with the final curvature and grace of the piece," he explains.
At Third Degree, McKelvey teaches classes for the Washington University College program. He developed the basic curriculum used in all Third Degree courses and in 2006 wrote/ The Art of Fire: Beginning
Glassblowing/, a textbook used for classes at Third Degree as well as at colleges around the world. He's also produced a 4-disc DVD set that complements The Art of Fire and brings an additional dimension to learning glass blowing.
"I love that moment when a student finally gets it. ‘Aha!’ is my favorite expletive. " McKelvey says.
Click DEMO to see video clips of Jim McKelvey demonstrate how to blow glass.
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