Scott Kempton grew up in San Diego, California. His early life path was in Oceanography, Photography and Graphic Arts. While a student at Palomar College, Scott happened to take a class in glass blowing. As the saying goes: “he was drawn into the fire”. Scott never looked back, and from that point on pursued his passion and his vocation.
To further his skills, Scott studied with many master glass blowers at Corning, New York, Red Deer College, Canada, and workshops on the West Coast. His first full time glass blowing position was as an apprentice with Leslie Wilton who at that time owned Blacksheep Glass. After spending eight years working with Leslie, Scott had the opportunity to buy the business when Leslie decided to retire. In 2001 Scott built a new state of the Glass Art Studio, and launched a new era for Blacksheep Glass.
Although classically trained, Scott loves to experiment with new designs and combines a variety of techniques in his work. He looks to the beaches of Southern California, and landscapes for inspiration. This is evident in such pieces as his “Coral Reef” weight, “Bird of Paradise” perfume bottle, and his “Wave Series” of vases, bowls and lamps.
At least once a month Scott invites other artists to work with him in his studio. “ I’m very control-oriented in my work,” he says. “I am dedicated to tight clean lines, but I also like to experiment with new shapes. In my present work I am striving to raise the quality and scale of my creations. Working with other artists helps me expand my work.”
In his normal work, Scott and his assistants work on two different levels. He says of his work, “The majority of my work is created for galleries. When I create a line of items for galleries, I need to deliver the product they see at a show or in my brochure. I need to be exact in my size, color density, and design. That is what we concentrate on each day. On another level, the spirit of an artist must be fed. I live for the end of the day, or the week-end when I can let my imagination and skill come together to form something that is creative for me. That is when the passion for the art is able to come out.”
During its twenty years history, Blacksheep Glass has built a solid reputation for producing affordable, functional and beautiful art glass. We are dedicated to continuing this tradition, while expanding into even more creative expressions of glass art. .
|
