Grant Donaldson
Grant Donaldson, Balanced
Born in Australia in 1959, Grant worked on the land until 1994 when he assisted Eileen to establish the Gordon Studio Glassblowers and he became captivated by the medium of glass.
The combination of having to learn quickly in order to assist Eileen, plus her patient coaching and Grant's amazing enthusiasm, helped him quickly develop extraordinary skills. This passion for glass is also constantly inspired by the example of Alasdair and his expert mentoring over the years. It has been a bonus that he has come to glass with an old eye.
Grant is challenged by the difficulties of working with glass and enjoys the thrill of trying to create works in glass that reflect his complex ideas. For any artist it is difficult to translate abstract thought into work, but Grant doesn't allow the glass medium to shackle this process. Hundreds of loose pencil drawings attempt transcription of his thoughts, allowing his work in glass lots of latitude to flex and change. His art: a description of his journey and ideas about time and space. The past becomes "a slingshot to explore the future."
Grant Donaldson's Bon Voyage on display in Glass Shadows at the National Art Glass Gallery, 2011
Grant Donaldson, Wayfarer 2011, blown, hot worked and sandblasted glass
Grant Donaldson, Determination I