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October 2016
Interview Katja Fritzsche Tucson |
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Katja Fritzsche: A Bird in the Frame Is Worth Way More Than Two in the Bush
by Diane C. Taylor (DCT)
by Diane C. Taylor (DCT)
Katja Fritzsche. Photo: Rachel Running Photography
Impressed on my memory is a piece I saw in a show a couple of years ago: A cast glass bird sitting on a cast glass branch poking out from a cast glass frame. For years I’ve looked forward to the opportunity of chatting with the artist, Katja Fritzsche. Recently, in what can only be described as a “compound” on South Stone Avenue, she took time out from her work to talk about glass, art and Tucson.
DCT: How long have you been in Tucson?
Katja Fritzsche (KF): Four years. I moved here from Whidbey Island, near Seattle. I grew up in Chicago.
DCT: Why did you get into glass?
KF: I was interested in glass as a daily object. I was in a summer program in high school and found I liked sculpture. When I went to college, I picked one – Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri – that had a program in glass. I ended up treating it like another medium for sculpture.
DCT: How long have you been in Tucson?
Katja Fritzsche (KF): Four years. I moved here from Whidbey Island, near Seattle. I grew up in Chicago.
DCT: Why did you get into glass?
KF: I was interested in glass as a daily object. I was in a summer program in high school and found I liked sculpture. When I went to college, I picked one – Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri – that had a program in glass. I ended up treating it like another medium for sculpture.
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DCT: Did you have a particular influence?
KF: Eva Zeisel, who created industrial design items, was a major influence. That was another reason for sculpture. I also spent two and a half weeks at Pilchuk, a glass school founded by Dale Chihuly and two others. When you’re young, it’s a good place to explore your voice and your materials. Then I went to graduate school (NY College of Ceramics at Alfred University). DCT: Seattle is supposed to be the center of glass… KF: We needed a change of weather. I was living on a farm on an island. I have family here. DCT: Listening to the chickens, it seems you’re still on a farm…. KF: We always appreciate fresh food. DCT: How do you find it here? KF: Tucson says it supports the arts, but it doesn’t really. Before, I was part of a group and a movement. We talked together, exchanged ideas…. Here, we’re just individuals, working separately. Of course, in Seattle, we all had had a similar experience. We’d done undergraduate and graduate work together, we’d been to Pilchuk – we were young together. But here there’s no place to sell work. The city needs galleries and people who are interested in buying art and taking classes. The Sonoran Glass School is trying hard, but it just doesn’t have the money. We need to create a “scene”….but that takes a lot of effort and time. To have a good gallery, you need to have good art. Some here is really good, some not so much so. Plus the price range that sells in Tucson is below $1,000. My work is expensive, it’s very labor intensive, the pieces are priced over $1,000. They take a long time to make, which people don’t always realize. DCT: That doesn’t sound too positive… KF: I don’t mean to sound negative. We moved here because it’s affordable and it’s beautiful. I really like the house and the area we live in. It’s very dynamic with some great artists in the neighborhood, and that makes it really interesting. I’m evolving as an artist. The model is changing. Glass collectors were big in the 1990s and early 2000s. These people are now older, in their eighties, and no younger collectors seem to be coming along to replace them. |
KFritzsche_Sabino_cast glass
KFritzsche_Fuchsia_cast glass
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Katja opening a mold.
DCT: How do you go about making your creations?
KF: My artwork takes about 4-6 weeks to accomplish: I make molds of natural objects in rubber or silicone to make wax models, or waxes. I make a lot of waxes, then start “playing”-- seeing which waxes work together in my vision, pulling together different objects, frames, images. I make a plaster / silica mold of the waxes, then steam out the waxes. I put the mold in the kiln to dry it out. After this, I put in glass and bring up the temperature to melt the glass, adding glass if necessary. The temperature of the kiln has to be brought down slowly in order for the glass to anneal (i.e., to cool slowly to reduce stress). I take the mold out of the kiln and carefully break it apart, using water. I clean up the glass piece with diamond tools and sandblast it. To finish up, I build and/or weld steel frames and hanging devices, glue them on, and add color.
KF: My artwork takes about 4-6 weeks to accomplish: I make molds of natural objects in rubber or silicone to make wax models, or waxes. I make a lot of waxes, then start “playing”-- seeing which waxes work together in my vision, pulling together different objects, frames, images. I make a plaster / silica mold of the waxes, then steam out the waxes. I put the mold in the kiln to dry it out. After this, I put in glass and bring up the temperature to melt the glass, adding glass if necessary. The temperature of the kiln has to be brought down slowly in order for the glass to anneal (i.e., to cool slowly to reduce stress). I take the mold out of the kiln and carefully break it apart, using water. I clean up the glass piece with diamond tools and sandblast it. To finish up, I build and/or weld steel frames and hanging devices, glue them on, and add color.
KFritzsche_Europa_cast glass, glass mosaic
DCT: I noticed on your website that some of your birds were on metal legs. Did you do the metalwork as well?
KF: Yes, I’m a welder of 25 years. I worked on parade floats and interior design items. I’ve done metal sculpture, including several deer heads. But the preparation beforehand and the grinding afterward were really hard on my body. I can’t sell my deer heads here – they cost several thousand dollars, and no one will pay that in Tucson.
DCT: Besides these art pieces, you have a line of dinnerware – plates, bowls, and so forth. How about those?
KF: I’ve been sculpting now for about 20 years. I’m a maker, and I always wanted make useful, everyday items. I like to eat off handmade plates myself, which is all part of “making”. The dinnerware pieces are slumped, not cast. I’m trying to price the items to be competitive with stores like Crate and Barrel. That means that, in order to be profitable, I have to sell it directly. If I try to sell through a store, I would have to double the price, and then the items are no longer affordable. I really like to use handmade plates myself, but I’m pulling back, because the profit margin is too small.
DCT: Where do you see your art going?
KF: I’ll continue making art. I’m working more slowly, making more deliberate choices. I’m reflecting more on what’s been successful. I’m still going to use natural imagery. I’ll continue with what I’m doing, knowing that time and the audience have changed and where to show has changed. I still like glass and I still think it has a place in sculpture.
DCT: What are you seeing?
KF: The gallery scene has changed a lot. Before, when you went to a show, you figured you’d sell at least half of what you presented. Since 2008 you can be happy if you sell enough to cover shipping costs.
DCT: An artist today has to be a salesperson.
KF: I don’t have the personality to really hustle, which is necessary. I don’t worry about being successful. I just want to make my art. I’m on my own path. Twenty years of being an artist is an amazing thing.
DCT: Where do you have work now?
KF: I have representation in Palm Desert, Detroit, Chicago and Florida. On October 1 we’ll be part of the Barrio Vidrio event, with Tom Philabaum and the Sonoran Glass School. I’ll be in a show here again at Davis Dominguez that opens November 5.
See more of Katja’s work at Katja Fritzsche www.katjafritzsche.com
and Barrio Collection http://www.barriocollection.com/
KF: Yes, I’m a welder of 25 years. I worked on parade floats and interior design items. I’ve done metal sculpture, including several deer heads. But the preparation beforehand and the grinding afterward were really hard on my body. I can’t sell my deer heads here – they cost several thousand dollars, and no one will pay that in Tucson.
DCT: Besides these art pieces, you have a line of dinnerware – plates, bowls, and so forth. How about those?
KF: I’ve been sculpting now for about 20 years. I’m a maker, and I always wanted make useful, everyday items. I like to eat off handmade plates myself, which is all part of “making”. The dinnerware pieces are slumped, not cast. I’m trying to price the items to be competitive with stores like Crate and Barrel. That means that, in order to be profitable, I have to sell it directly. If I try to sell through a store, I would have to double the price, and then the items are no longer affordable. I really like to use handmade plates myself, but I’m pulling back, because the profit margin is too small.
DCT: Where do you see your art going?
KF: I’ll continue making art. I’m working more slowly, making more deliberate choices. I’m reflecting more on what’s been successful. I’m still going to use natural imagery. I’ll continue with what I’m doing, knowing that time and the audience have changed and where to show has changed. I still like glass and I still think it has a place in sculpture.
DCT: What are you seeing?
KF: The gallery scene has changed a lot. Before, when you went to a show, you figured you’d sell at least half of what you presented. Since 2008 you can be happy if you sell enough to cover shipping costs.
DCT: An artist today has to be a salesperson.
KF: I don’t have the personality to really hustle, which is necessary. I don’t worry about being successful. I just want to make my art. I’m on my own path. Twenty years of being an artist is an amazing thing.
DCT: Where do you have work now?
KF: I have representation in Palm Desert, Detroit, Chicago and Florida. On October 1 we’ll be part of the Barrio Vidrio event, with Tom Philabaum and the Sonoran Glass School. I’ll be in a show here again at Davis Dominguez that opens November 5.
See more of Katja’s work at Katja Fritzsche www.katjafritzsche.com
and Barrio Collection http://www.barriocollection.com/
