still is. I still make some pieces in
DV: When I’m asked that ques-
cally. He started the Ocean Park
your design approach?
polyester. Plastics don’t do well
tion, I tell people it’s taken me
Series. We used to play softball
outdoors though.
all my life because it’s a point I
in Boulder, Colorado, the artists
DV: Adding a water element took
finally arrived at. I first thought
against the philosophy depart-
me another step closer to making
PD: You say you had your glass
about making glass in the 60s,
ment. It was just a fun game, but
water stand on edge, like taking a
delivered?
but I could never justify doing the
these philosophers were very
saw and cutting out a piece of the
glass. It was just too expensive.
serious about their athletics.
sky or ocean. The polyester and
DV: I had the good fortune of
Richard’s a good ball player. He
glass give me a chance to objec-
having an old time glass man
PD: The interaction of smog and
could catch and hit and run, very
tify that idea, to work with that
who befriended me. He worked
light in Los Angeles has heavily
athletic.
transparent colored space. For
for every major glass company in
influenced your work. Your sur-
town. He would take glass com-
roundings seem to be a constant
PD: [Laughs] That’s a great story.
it all together really, the water and
panies that were going flat and
influence. Once you had enough
Ok, so does Curved Waterwall
the sky.
he’d get them back in business.
money to create fountains, how
have any relation to the Cylindri-
Whatever company he was with,
did L.A. factor into the design of a
cal Column Laminated Glass?
PD: The water adds a whole new
he would get them to do my glass,
fountain like Curved Waterwall?
They look like they’re from the
luminosity.
which is custom cut. It gives it a
me, Curved Waterwall is putting
same period.
flaked, faceted edge. They score
DV: I grew up in Colorado and
the glass at the top with a regular
realized how beautiful the blue
DV: Yes it does! I’ve done many
to it. Sound as well, because it’s
old-fashioned glasscutter. Then
was. But when I moved to L.A., I
larger cylinders just like this.
water. I have a video of Curved
from underneath they tap it with
couldn’t understand why all the
Right now I’m working on a 12-
Waterwall down when it was
a ball pine hammer to give it that
headlights were yellow at night.
foot high cylindrical fountain.
in Encino; the sound, the light,
faceted look. Now it’s all cut with
The smog was so bad in 1965.
The first fountain, in fact, was a
everything. It’s a babbling brook
a computer operated machine.
The smog plus the vapor from the
cylinder at the Federal Reserve
sound, not a big water sound. It’s
ocean – I lived a half a block away.
Bank in San Francisco.
nice because it isolates you in a
PD: It’s faster, but not the same
I was very aware of that marine
effect.
atmosphere.
DV: No it’s not the same! We tried
PD: But it’s amazing that in L.A.
it and I got pretty good at it, but
you can escape it so easily.
DV: Yes it does, it adds liveliness
sound environment, not like a PD: Does it look like Cylindrical
rushing current.
Column Laminated Glass?
it gets expensive. You have to buy
LAMA would like to thank DV: Oh yes exactly like it. It was 7
De Wain and Kiana Valentine
feet high though.
for their generosity and
a complete order of glass. For the
DV: Yes! You’re out in a meadow
largest works, I had to buy 22
in the woods in some fairyland
PD: Ah it’s almost like a fountain
assistance.
thousand pounds of glass. The
only 30 minutes away. You
study. Was Curved Waterwall one
biggest pieces of glass were 500
think, “This is Los Angeles?” It’s
of the first fountains you made?
pounds each.
magical. My work changed so much when I got to L.A., just like
DV: It was the third fountain I
PD: It must have taken you a
Richard Diebenkorn when he
made.
long time to construct Curved
moved from the Bay Area to teach
Waterwall…
at UCLA, his work changed radi-
PD: How did adding water change