I have known Jake Moskowitz for a loooooooong time. So long, in fact, that he was my first real kiss! ( cue the “awww“s and “siiiiiigh“s ) We met at Camp Harlam back in 2002 and have stayed in contact over the years.
^ ^ Back when Jake looked like this, he started messing around with glass rods and a blowtorch in his garage. (Literally, terrifying) ^ ^
That was nine years ago. Then his parents decided it was safer for him to go to art school than burn down their New Jersey home, so Jake studied at the Cleveland Institute of Art. He graduated in 2011 with a Bachelor’s of Fine Arts in Glass, and now continues to make art full-time. More recently, he even built a mobile shop so he can do live glass blowing demonstrations at public events.
^ ^ Now Jake has a full head of dreadlocks and numerous scars on his hands. He is no longer the goofy kid I met at summer camp but a deeply focused, incredibly talented glass artist. It was kind of surreal seeing him at work. ^ ^
“Glass-working lathes slowly rotate a hollow glass vessel over a fixed or variable temperature flame. The source of the flame may be either hand-held, or mounted to a banjo/cross slide that can be moved along the lathe bed. The flame serves to soften the glass being worked, so that the glass in a specific area of the workpiece becomes ductile, and subject to forming either by inflation (“glass blowing“), or by deformation with a heat-resistant tool.” – ( Thanks Wikipedia )
After I looked around, saw tanks of flammable gas, and realized there was an open flame… let me say I was less than comfortable. The photo does not do it justice, but the torch flame is really quite intimidating. The chaos of a glass shop falls somewhere between my bedroom in high school and the aftermath of a college frat party. There are glass shards everywhere. Tanks, empty tanks, tools, protective eyewear, everything is sprawled across the benches and onto the floor. Jake moved seamlessly through it all, prepping his station, adjusting the flame, tending the kiln. It was like watching a professional ballet. I just kind of sat there and stared, eyes wide open, amazed that I knew someone with so much talent. I just thought to myself, “I could never do this.”
^ ^ But it is clear that Jake knows what he is doing. He makes pendants, hookahs, fine art, and custom pieces. When I was visiting, Jake was in the middle of making an Americana-themed beer stein for his father’s birthday. ^ ^
I had to leave before the final product was out of the kiln, but I am so happy I had the opportunity to witness this creative process. My favorite thing Jake has ever made is this beautiful egg, watch this (short!) film his brother made showcasing the piece. It is totally worth it, I promise.
If you are interested in seeing more of Jake Moskowitz Studios, check out his
and
You can also find a gallery of his work H E R E.
Denali Johnson Photography 