In 1974 Marty Kaufman traveled from Canada to Europe.  There he enrolled in a Parisian stone-carving atelier.  This pivotal experience drove him to pursue a broader arts education.  He came back to Canada to attend classes at the Alberta College of Art & Design as a sculpture major.  Just down the hall from the sculpture studios was the compelling roar of the glass hot shop.

When Marty Kaufman first saw the blowing process, his imagination was captured.  The relationship between the artist and the material was fascinating.  This fascination prompted Marty to change his college major to Glass and the adaptability of glass has kept him involved since then. 

“ Creative evolution is a spiraling progression for me and the plastic nature of glass is well suited to this spiral.  When I first started to blow glass, the idea of shaping a form with a colour field that transmitted light was intriguing.  Later, the cutting and carving of the off-hand or mold-blown forms was a step back to my sculptural roots in Paris.  With blown and cast glass I found a progression that continued to take experiences from my past and apply them to the present.

The common thread that connects all my artwork is the influence of Place. With the glasswork the influence of Place is the landscape – its natural elements and their effect on the psyche.  My glasswork explores this idea by presenting objects that have recognizable elements within the abstracted forms. Through the actions of cutting and carving the form, subverting the intrinsic beautiful qualities within glass, I wish to challenge the viewer’s perception of what creates beauty and reflect on the idea of what constitutes fragility and strength.  Ultimately, I want the viewing experience to be a questioning of the work’s meaning. ”

Marty Kaufman lives and works in Calgary and has been employed by the Alberta College of Art & Design since 1986.  His work can be found in many private and public collections across Canada.