Have you been an artist your entire life? When did you first find joy in this type of work?

Yes, I have been an artist my entire life. Being an artist is who you are, more than what you do. I was the class artist in school, as early as I can remember. Some of my earliest memories are tracing comics on my parents’ bed as a small child.

How do you find inspiration from your environment?

When artists are in the proper mind-set, they find inspiration all around them. I’m very tuned into light and color. Also, I have lived close to the ocean my entire life. I find these themes repeated in my work in subtle and obvious ways.

What draws you to handblown glass over other mediums?

I have come late to exploring handblown glass. I graduated from Pratt Institute in Brooklyn with a degree in drawing and painting. I spent a career in digital art, through graphic design and teaching art at the college level. I’m attracted to glass for its varying levels of transparency and color.

What does “ImagINvention”mean to you?

To me, it means exploring and creating new processes to express your work. Art and technical innovations have been intertwined throughout history. A perfect example of this is present in the works of Leonardo da Vinci.

Do you have a favorite piece from this collection? Why?

No, I do not have a favorite piece. My favorite piece is always my “next” piece. That’s what motivates me to keep pushing forward and evolving.

What does your work aim to say?

My work is a celebration of life. I’ve always loved Matisse’s exploration of “joie de vivre” (joy of life). Art motivates us; art keeps us curious and asks us to view our worlds with new eyes.

Can you describe your creative process on a productive day? How might your process change on an unproductive day?

On a productive day, I’ll have many projects and processes, at different stages, at any given time. I can be finishing a project and starting another concurrently. When I’m not being productive with art, I’m being productive with all the life tasks that are required of us as responsible adults. What’s interesting to me is how the latter can still inspire the former.

What are you working on right now?

Lately, I have been interested in exploring kiln-form glass techniques. I want to make more fused elements and incorporate them into the glassblowing process. Most recently, I just purchased a new kiln, with the intention of creating elements using a Vitrigraph process.

What have you learned about yourself through the experience?

I have learned that to be inspired, you must create your own personal perception of reality. Question everything and move forward with a sense of purpose that defies any roadblocks that hold you back. Create your own definition of success.

As an artist, do you have a favorite color?

As a person who has always had an intense connection to water, my favorite color is blue. Blue is also most people’s favorite color (Google it). One of the things that fascinates me about color, is that we respond to color before anything else when making value judgements. We see color before we see shape or texture. Most people never lose the “favorite color” we establish as kids, for as long as we live.

Do you have any words of wisdom to share with aspiring artists?

My only wisdom for artists, is to stay engaged with the things that inspire them. Our creative journey is rarely on a straight path. One of my favorite quotes is by Rainer Maria Rilke in Letter To A Young Poet:

Be patient towards all that is unsolved in your heart and try to love the questions themselves. Do not now seek the answers, which cannot be given you because you would not be able to live them. And the point is to live everything. Live the questions now. Perhaps you will then gradually, without noticing it, live along some distant day into the answers.

About Clint Burbridge

Clint Burbridge is a multi-disciplinary artist currently living and working in Florida. His work ranges from Contemporary Art to Art Education, and includes mediums such as digital design, 3D printing, woodworking, painting, drawing and glassblowing. His practice blends traditional skill sets with modern technology to create unique sculptural works.

Burbridge earned his BFA with honors from Pratt Institute. Previously he was the Art Director at Jacksonville Magazine and an Adjunct Professor at Florida State College at Jacksonville.

More info at: www.clintburbridge.com