Today we’d like to introduce you to Tom Rupnicki.
tom, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
It all started when I decided to go back to Art school at Columbia in Chicago, IL. I majored in photography and studied the history of photography. While at Columbia I became very interested in Ceramics and started throwing pots and hand building sculpture. After graduating in 1985 I moved back to my hometown in Media, Pa. and set up a studio in my basement where I could create ceramic objects. I worked with clay for many years having a show here and there. Along the way I became interested in glass while attending a clay workshop in Penland, NC. while there I spent time in their glass studio and decided to learn the art of glassblowing at Tyler school of art and the University of the arts in Philadelphia, PA. I loved working with color and molten glass. I decided to build my own glass studio in Media including a 6 ton furnace, two glory holes or reheating chambers a color furnace and 4 annealing ovens. I mainly produced functional glass ware and large vessels. I have work in many of the glass galleries across the US. I have always been interested in Art in the landscape and decided to create NightOrbs in 1997 and have been producing them for the last 29 years. We sell directly to Landscape Architects, designers and lighting installers.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Glass is a finnicky medium and has many pitfalls. When making an object the color has to be compatible with the expansion rate of glass, some colors are not and cause cracking. After the glass object is complete it has to be annealed in an oven for 24 hours bringing the temperature down slowly. The orbs can be quite heavy up to 40 pounds for an 18″ diameter glass orb. At one point I had to redesign the 8″ cradle that supports the orb and making it out of silicon bronze then machining it to perfection. We have never had a problem with the new cradles in 25 years in the field. Orbs are powered with low voltage 12-volts power and have led’s for illumination which are usually good for 40,000 hours.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Philosophy
This project aims to suggest, through the use of color and light, the subtle aspects that inspire the human soul. When I set out to design NightOrbsTM, I intended to fuse the curative powers of light, color, and nature into a single, enduring work of landscape art that can be appreciated in gardens throughout the year and for many years to come.
In 1997, I initially considered incorporating hand-blown glass into the natural environment. I decided to go with a spherical form because many people believe it to be the ideal shape. NightOrbsTM is a marriage of color and light; they are an ethereal presence in a garden, an item of beauty, a cause for thought, and an incredibly durable and practical landscape illumination.
A reaction is also prompted in the observer by color. A sudden expansion of the color palette and the induction of emotional response can be achieved, for instance, by viewing Claude Monet’s “Water Lilies” if the correct color combinations and spatial relationships are used.
My personal responses to color and light inspired me to create the color mixtures used in NightOrbsTM. The recipes have been refined over the years and are only retained when they have demonstrated their efficacy — their capacity to sing — in the garden.
What quality or characteristic do you feel is most important to your success?
Our Founder
As an artisan, glassblower, and conceptual designer, Tom Rupnicki is the person primarily responsible for the creative direction of NightOrbs. Following a successful career as the owner of his own commercial flooring firm, he established LaSorgente in 1997.
Tom received instruction in glassblowing from seasoned professionals at the Tyler School of Art in the suburbs of Philadelphia and the Corning studio in New York. He received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Photography from Columbia College of Art in Chicago, where he also completed his studies in ceramics at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia.
Tom’s work has been featured in galleries throughout the United States, including:
American Craftsman, New York City
Vertri Gallery, Kauai, Hawaii
Artique, Lexington, Kentucky
A Gallery of Fine Art, Palm Desert, California
SJG, Inc., Cape Cod, Massachusetts
Kane-Marie, Virginia Beach, Virginia
Seekers Glass Gallery, Cambria, California
Gallery Vetro, San Antonio, Texas
Accent Gallery, Ocean City, New Jersey
Gingerbread Gallery, Key West, Florida
Pricing:
- $185.00 for a 4″ Orblet
- $495.00 for an 8″ NightOrb
- $1,450 for a 13″ NightOrb
- $2,950.. for an 18″ NightOrb
Contact Info:
- Website: www.nightorbs.com www.tomrupnicki.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/nightorbs/
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/nightorbs/
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/nightorbsglass
