Bulbous Forms 

It seems a little peculiar that at age 75, as a professional studio artist/craftsperson, I still remember a childhood fascination with the plant kingdom. 

 During my adolescent years, I enjoyed flowers in bloom, berries and especially pulling vegetables out of papa’s garden. There was a moment of suspense yanking each, radish, beet, or carrot out of the ground. 

 I have vivid summer memories of walking through the meadow near my home in rural Massachusetts, and occasionally tugging up small plants to study them. I was captivated by the earth clump fortifying a root system with dirt clinging to the hair like tendrils. 

 Today the temperature is frigid outside, and I’m in my warm studio sitting at the bench. I’m melting and cajoling the hot glass rods into shapes that are reliving the secrets of my childhood discoveries. Slowly the form melts into shape in the flame and begins to reference a succulent bulb. As I reheat the bulb and roll the glowing glass onto earth shades of powdered glasses, I feel the blessing of hand skills crafting memories.