Louise Irvine

Riccardo Ferro seeks the soul of his glass art as he carves into the surface with abrasive spinning wheels. He cradles each piece for hours, days and often weeks, painstakingly grinding away to reveal what lies underneath. He listens to the sounds the glass makes against his tools to know when he is finished. It’s almost as though the soul of his work is speaking to him and asking to be visible, as he explained to Shawn Waggoner in her Talking Out Your Glass podcast, launched last week.

In the run-up to Carved in Glass, the latest exhibition at WMODA, Shawn interviewed Riccardo at his studio in Murano. Sergio Gnesin, an Italian glass expert and curator, translated for him in the museum’s Hot Glass Gallery in Hollywood, Florida – the wonders of technology!

Riccardo talked about the glass grinding workshop that he runs with his older brother Pietro and the great influence of his father, the cold-working Maestro, Paulo Ferro. He told us about the rivalry and competition between the siblings to produce the most outstanding designs but added that they also help and support each other, particularly with large, heavy pieces, which need two people to handle. 

It's a painstaking process because there’s always the danger that the piece will shatter, especially when they are carving five layers deep. Fortunately, with many years of experience, the brothers instinctively know when to stop and listen for the soul of each vessel to emerge. The result is a richly textured abstract design in vibrant translucent colors. Sergio Gnesin set up 15 spectacular works of art by the fabulous Ferro brothers for the Carved in Glass selling exhibition at WMODA.

Riccardo was visiting the USA for the One of a Kind exhibition in Chicago and flew to Florida specially to open the WMODA exhibition. He is excited to be showing the Ferro brothers' work in a museum setting and met with many savvy museum guests, who seized the opportunity to book early for this evening event. Riccardo also chatted to collectors who have been buying his art for many years. He loves to meet people who share his passion for the magic of glass art and says selling his work is like giving away a child. It is important for him to know about the future home.  All sales benefit the educational programs at WMODA, which is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit museum.

If you missed meeting Riccardo in person, you can listen to his conversation with Shawn Waggoner by following the link to the Talking Out Your Glass podcast. You will also find links in the podcast  to video interviews at the Corning Museum of Glass and La Moleria workshop in Murano. Be sure to visit the pop-up Carved in Glass exhibition at WMODA, which runs through May 18, International Museum Day.

The Ferro Brothers - Talking Out Your Glass