Nick Mount This Spring exhibition in Sydney, Australia

Nick Mount has been blowing glass since a cowboy boot-wearing American introduced him to it in the mid-1970s. Looking back, it was a fortuitous time as only months earlier he had married his partner of now more than 45 years, Pauline. Together they went on to establish Victoria’s first hot glass studio, raise three relatively well-adjusted children, and develop an internationally renowned arts practice. Today, they enjoy the chaos of family events with seven grandchildren and Nick is celebrated as one of the most important and influential figures in contemporary Australian studio glass.

Based in Adelaide, South Australia, Nick works out of a home studio and the JamFactory’s open access hot shop. In the traditions of the studio glass movement, he is an advocate for communal training and production, and has a reputation for being a generous teacher and mentor. He also travels regularly, both exhibiting and demonstrating around the world.

Nick’s work is materials and process driven. His early exposure to the thriving studio glass scene on the West Coast of the United States, and the historic and cultural traditions of the Venetians remain an enduring influence. So, too, does his commitment to continually expanding his knowledge of the enigmatic qualities of glass and his belief in the power of working with his hands. More broadly, Nick draws on that which is most important to him: his family; the productive garden he and Pauline have spent 30 years cultivating; the glass community; and the people and places he visits.

Nick says, “While I have been able to continue with my work in the studio without much interruption, I have not had the same access to the furnaces and have had to reimagine my place as a maker.

“The work that has come from this period may seem like another small step in the continuing evolution of my ‘shoots’ and ‘fruits’ series but it has come from a very different period of time and a very different place.

“Some of these new pieces refer more directly to the shapes and colours of fruits that we know. Some of them are less recognisable. Maybe from the future or another place. Maybe from trees or plants that we don’t yet know that hold the promise of something new and exciting. Or frightening.”

The exhibition is on from 10 October to 4 November at the Sabbia Gallery, 609 Elizabeth Street, Redfern, Sydney NSW 2016 Australia. https://sabbiagallery.com

Feature image: Prunus in Repose, photographed by Pippy Mount.