FEBRUARY 2008 ONLINE EDITORIALS
Art Trek: Local Glass Blower Turns Passion into Success
By Maggie Kunze
I love meeting artists of every age that keep the art atmosphere in Fort Collins fresh and vibrant. I am always thrilled to find emerging artists that have a great passion for what they do. I am featuring such an artist - this little spitfire gal’s name is Dottie Boscamp. Dottie is a tender aged twenty-seven year old (I told her I have socks older than that!) who has the determination of a seasoned veteran.
Dottie came to Fort Collins as many of us who came for a visit and decided that this was the place to live, and so she stayed. Of course the fact that at the time her boyfriend was here may have had some to do with her decision! The abundance of outdoor recreation fit in with her lifestyle and her ideal place to live. She grew up in a large extended family on the south side of Chicago and graduated from Illinois State University with a degree in art with an emphasis in photography and glass. She worked several jobs in her field giving her experience in both mediums. But glass is the medium she favors, as she loves that it is so responsive and also different every time. Every movement affects the glass - she likens glassblowing to dancing because you are moving with the glass and responding to it.
Dottie took a glassblowing job in Estes Park but lost it because she wanted to work on her own designs rather than the bland everyday stuff her employer wanted her to do. In this world of mass-produced items, glass gives her a real feeling of craftsmanship. Every piece of glass has her individuality in it. No two glassblowers can produce the same piece. She can’t even make the same piece twice.
So Dottie decided to put together a business plan and go talk to the ‘man’ about opening her own shop. Now I have had the experience of finding funding for my own business, and I know it can be a very daunting task. I think it’s especially tough for single women. I can just see the banker judging this young 20-something coming in with no collateral other than a big dream. But Dottie paid her dues and worked three jobs to earn enough to have some savings to get a Small Business loan and open her own shop called ‘Glass Rocks’, which is located at 1413 Webster St #4.
She has had her shop for almost 3 years now and is cranking out fun, creative glasswork. She finds that the functional, wild and funkier pieces are the most popular. Garden related items like gazing balls and starter vases are hot sellers. She makes some really gorgeous glass flowers on long stems of glass that are outrageous. I want a whole arrangement of them! She travels around to different art shows and is getting quite a name for herself. I recently talked to her while at a wholesale show in Philadelphia. She was selling wholesale to galleries and art shops and was kicking butt in sales!
Another aspect that she is concentrating on is recycling her own glass that is left over. She feels strongly about being earth-friendly and not adding to waste that cannot bio-degrade. The glass that she reuses is a bit darker but really works well in many of her pieces and she saves money on new glass and saves sending more stuff to the landfill.
This young gal has the determination and spunk that has gotten her this far and who knows where she will take it?
She has brought on an assistant who now does much of the teaching to students in the shop. She wants to free herself up to do more ‘fun’ non-functional, sculpturally artistic work. But for now she’s glad she has the freedom to grow her own business and ‘blow with the wind!’
Dottie Boscamp’s work is shown locally at Trimble Court Artisans Co-op and at The Collective Fine Art Gallery, or see her work at www.glassrocks.us.