22 -— Wednesday, April 22, 1992 - North Shore News Exploring new territories in the art of glass-making HE OTHER day ! got thinking about how exciting it used to be to drive down Granville Street on a Friday night with my parents and sister and watch the flash- ing neon lights of theatre row light up every available inch of night sky. We Vancouverites don't normal- ly think of neon as being a part of our cultural history, but at one time, only Hong Kong and Singapore boasted more neon signs per capita. For the past 25 years neon sign-making has been a dimming art, and glass artist Graham Scott is one of many who are mourning its death in the city. “Neon signs were perfectly suited to North America and the postwar years. It was free-enter- prise. It was crass, loud. It paral- leled ‘bigger is better,’” says Scott, a North Shore born and bred artist. Scott will be speaking about neon in Vancouver next month at the Glass Art Assaciation of Canada’s major conference at Granville Island. It was Scott's early memories of neon — rotating placards that once bathed Pender, Broadway, Hastings and Granville streets in a warm red and green glow — that sparked his interest in the subject. “It was great because Van- couver was a setting in search of a city. Neon offset the insignificance of the city during the day, which was dwarfed by the meuntains and sky. In some ways, neon really articulated the pioneer spirit Van- couver had at the time.” Evelyn Jacob SPOTLIGHT FEATURE His personal favorite was the giant Bow Mac billboard that towered over West Broadway (al- though still glowing today, the current Bow Mac sign is a much smaller version of the original). Neon began appearing tn Van- couver in the mid- to late-’30s and flourished after the Second World War as shopkeepers demanded bigger and more brilliant signs. asked a bender why it (neon) was so big, and he said the. secret was in leasing,’’ says Scott, who teaches at Washington state’s Pilchuck Glass School, considered the world’s top glass-blowing in- stitute, “The signs were never sold; they were leased by subsidiaries owned by the neon sign com- panies. By ihe ‘60s, Vancouver had in- troduced bylaws that restricted the size and manner in which signs could be hung. Those regulations, says Scott, in effect killed the neon sign business. Today the only part of the city that has retained a partial collec- tion of old neon signs is China- town, which was declared a heritage zone in 1977. Scott, who takes on an unblink- ing stare whenever the word “glass” is mentioned, didn’t come to talk specifically about neon. But ne believes it plays an important role in understanding the history of glass in B.C. His tove affair with the substance began several years ago when he was” working with a somewhat revolutionary technique for the time — painting and firing — something akin to pottery glaz- ing. Riways one to experiment with new techniques and ideas, Scott learned how to sculpt glass by trial and error. Many of his corporate windows feature a playful sense of color with geometric shapes and images etched or kiln-fired in. One of his best-known projects is the art deco-style curved ellip- tical glass dome he designed and built for the former home of Van- couver millionaire Murray Pezim. Here, Scott was able to experi- ment within the canventional framework of stained glass. “don’t know of any examples of this kind of work anywhere. It was extremely difficult. Half the solution was in the engineering itself.” NEWS photo Mike Vekettald ARTIST GRAHAM Scott notes that the method of glase-making hasn't changed that much since Gothic times. Scott points out that the method of glass-making hasn’t changed that much from Gothic times. It’s the skill of the blower that deter- mines the quality of the glass. “| like that sense of perma- nence. You can go to Europe and see glass in cathedrals that was made 1,000 years ago, and it’s still there. It’s humbling to be involved in that process.” For another project, a 12-foot rococo-style circular dome, each piece of glass had to be custom- blown. Scott experimented by mixing different colors in the glass . during the actual blowing process, which allowed for a graduated ~ fading of color. in January, Scott had his first - solo exhibit of work at Andrighetti Glass near Granville Island,-a glass studio that encourages experimen- . tal work. Next month some of hisnew work will form part of aninterna- | tional glass exhibit at Buschlen- Mowatt Gallery. These days he continues to ex- plore new territory, creating mobile-like structures that occupy See Duatity page 23 : ‘Lumber & ‘Building Supplies * In celebration of international Classified Week we are inviting you to “Double your Deal.” Book your ad between April 20 and 25 to run twice and we'll run it 2.more times free. This applies to private party ads only in starred’ classifications. You’re invited... While you are placing your ad during International Classified Week, April 19-25, join us for refreshments, compliments of ri ] Emenee VANCOUVER AREA NEWSPAPER NETWORK CLASSIFIEDS 1139 Lonsdale Avenue, North Vancouver SUNDAY + WEDNESDAY » FRFDAY