Grace Whiteside
At Son of Rand, we thrive on celebrating the intersection of art and design, especially when it comes from extraordinary talents like Grace Whiteside. Our latest collaboration features candy-colored, Memphis-inspired glassware, which perfectly embodies our mission to bring playful design into everyday life. In this exclusive interview, Grace shares insights into their interdisciplinary practice, the inspirations behind their work, and the stories that shape their creative journey.
RA: For those that are maybe unfamiliar with you and your work, can you tell us a little about your background and how you got into glassblowing?
GW: Sure! Getting into glass was sort of a happy accident! I was a Craft and Fashion major at VCU in Undergrad and the weaving class I was dying to take was totally full and the only class available was glass... I remember being totally bummed out, but the second I encountered the material I was instantly mesmerized and knew that this was what I have to do forever. 10 years later... here we are.
RA: What inspired you to pursue glassblowing as a career, and how has your work evolved over time?
GW: I don't know that I chose glass as a career. I just kept pursuing it out of school which led me to enter the field in any way possible. There is no clear trajectory as a professional glassblower, so it became a choose your own adventure type of career path. I started out as a performance artist (and still am), using glass as a co-star in various experimental theater pieces. Some of these pieces involved making elaborate and performative tableware objects. From there, once Covid hit, I began selling these glass pieces on instagram and donating proceeds to various organizations and individuals in need. In September 2020, I launched an ecommerce web store in collaboration with my friends over at Gardner NYC and Sticky Glass was born!
RA: Can you walk us through your creative process when creating a new glass piece? Do you have a favorite way of collaborating or projects you prefer to work on?
GW: I am a Taurus so I love all methods of collaboration and solving problems/ puzzles in glass. My methods change from project to project but I often sketch with glass itself in its molten state. A lot of my forms are inspired by the fluidity of the material, and its ability to fluctuate between solid and liquid states with ease. Sometimes there is a mood board here and there, but nothing really compares to getting into the studio and handling the material!
RA: For those who may not know, you were on the Netflix show Blown Away which I thought provided such an interesting behind-the-scenes look at the art of glassblowing. What was your experience like being a part of the show?
GW: It was totally bananas ! But overall it was a great experience and fed my practice in more ways than one. It is definitely a high pressure situation but as a big fan of reality television, being on set and seeing how it all operates was fascinating to me.
RA: How do you balance the technical aspects of glassblowing with the creative aspects to create a successful piece?
GW: They go hand in hand really. My decade long relationship with this material allows for my creativity to flourish as I am able to execute some really wild ideas. But, I am often still stumped by the material and I don't know that that will ever change which is why I am so addicted to this practice. There is always something to learn.
RA: Your work often incorporates bright colors and unique shapes. What inspires your design choices?
GW: My mother is an interior Designer in my hometown in Roanoke, VA and she LOVES bright colors. So much so that in my childhood home, every room had an incredibly bright palette, including polka dots on the living room walls and a dining room had a hot pink dining bench. I think I am the most comfortable when I am around a lot of color and my mother blessed me with the eye for it. I love finding unusual combinations and pushing the boundaries of color theories. I would credit my father too here but he is color blind so he thinks that anything I make looks good haha.
RA: What advice would you give to someone who is interested in pursuing a career in glassblowing?
GW: I am not going to lie, It is an incredibly hard craft to grasp and it requires a lot of stamina but if you fall in love with it like I did, I would just recommend keeping your hands busy by picking up a glass pipe as frequently as you can. Folks in the industry are quite generous so it could never hurt to reach out to someone and ask to apprentice them.
Shop our collection with Sticky Glass or Discover more of Grace’s work