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Nice collaboration, @harryallendesign and @esquestudio ! These pieces, called Liason, are made of sand-blasted glass and stainless steel. Bonus: @flavorpaper wall covering depicting close-up images of other glass pieces in the background. Booth 1775 @icff_nyc http://ift.tt/2rUeJPq

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EMMY | holy cow. We are so fired up @opbartbeat won an Emmy for our segment for best arts and entertainment program!! The Medium is The Message on Esque Studio…We didn’t know this was on our bucket list, but check. A freaking Emmy! Thank you so so much for everyone that helped put this together. @osmoseme @nicspeed @andikovel @justinparkerglass @tonman53 #natasnorthwest Watch our segment here: https://watch.opb.org/video/the-medium-is-the-message-asuoh3/ (at ESQUE STUDIO) https://www.instagram.com/p/CfHyLd-vdXp/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

#natasnorthwest

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Start the bidding!!!! @artsy @nycxdesign @interiordesignmag @thecindygram @andikovel @justinparkerglass https://www.instagram.com/p/CdWdjiZPKi7/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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NYCxDESIGN | Inaugural Benefit Auction 2022 We are you honored to be not only included but the cover images for this Artsy and @nycxdesign launch! Bidding has started and please please link to check out all the outstanding art works for acquisition here. We are excited to launch NYCxDESIGN’s Benefit Auction, coinciding with the NYCxDESIGN 10th Anniversary Festival and curated by Interior Design Editor-in-Chief Cindy Allen. @interiordesignmag @thecindygram Featuring works from leading creatives that are embedded in NYC’s design scene, emerging designers, and collectible artists, there’s something for everyone. Support NYCxDESIGN by bidding on works from designers and artists in the inaugural Benefit Auction. Learn more about the 2022 Festival taking place this May 10-20 here. Proceeds from the Auction enable NYCxDESIGN’s non-profit work to create more equitable opportunities in design, provide platforms to promote important work, foster a diverse next generation of designers, and define the future of design locally and internationally. Bidding will be open exclusively on Artsy and will start closing at 12:00 pm EDT on Friday, May 20, 2022. (at ESQUE STUDIO) https://www.instagram.com/p/CdOrJP6vwoQ/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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KARTELL | classic componibili in army green. I had a set in red as a kid and was obsessing over owning these again love the color with our waterdrop jugs in elephant, curry and crème orange. I had to share this as Anna personally helped me with my order, I’m entirely Star struck as she’s always been an inspiration and influenced my passion for design. OMG! Thank you Anna! #annacastelliferrieri @kartell_official @justinparkerglass @andikovel #waterdropjug (at ESQUE STUDIO) https://www.instagram.com/p/CcyiY0QPEUh/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

#annacastelliferrieri #waterdropjug

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Waterdrop Jugs in crème orange and white smoke by @mark_whitmell which he shared with the subject “in the morning light” freaking stunning. Custom colors requested as an homage. Made with love thank you Mark!! https://www.instagram.com/p/CcTqB9TPYf4/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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IN PROCESS | we’re super fired up about @justinparkerglass Justin’s new sculptural collectable series. Debuting soon along side @andikovel Andi’s new objects. The connecting thread seems to be transformation and evolution of forms. Just had to share its so so good! Solid hot worked and cast one of a kind pure Parker. #collectibledesign #designobject #justinparker #handblownglass #glassdesign #glasssculpture (at ESQUE STUDIO) https://www.instagram.com/p/CcTczHHPacK/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

#collectibledesign #designobject #justinparker #handblownglass #glassdesign #glasssculpture

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Today's livestream with @corningmuseumshops is starting soon at 10AM (EST)! Watch on shops.cmog.org! (at Corning Museum of Glass) https://www.instagram.com/p/CXYw30hrzLL/?utm_medium=tumblr

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HAPPY GLASS| Puking rainbows all week for an exclusive ornament line for @corningmuseum @corningmuseumshops guest artist spot with @blownawayseries stars @naoymmt @catburnsglass all next weekend. Come say hi or check out their online store to purchase my rainbows raindrops and clouds. @andikovel @justinparkerglass #glassornaments #pukingrainbows #glassdesign #punkluxe #blownawayseries (at ESQUE STUDIO) https://www.instagram.com/p/CXMwjm-vozc/?utm_medium=tumblr

#glassornaments #pukingrainbows #glassdesign #punkluxe #blownawayseries

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CUSTOM | had the pleasure of visiting this original design and install of our Silvered Drop Pendent. The cord is covered in jute and swagged from the jbox to the center of the table super stylishly. It seems that a lot of people would say they don’t prefer a swagged cord, but we love it as additional visual appeal and it’s a great answer to having use use large canopies or moving electrical junctions. Just our $.02 #glasspendant #handcrafted #mercuryglass #punkluxe #customglasswork (at Forest Park Aspen Trail) https://www.instagram.com/p/CWguoJBBEZ7/?utm_medium=tumblr

#glasspendant #handcrafted #mercuryglass #punkluxe #customglasswork

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DROP | it like it’s hot! Debuting our brand spankin new Contour Twisty Cane Set by @justinparkerglass sold as a set or individually. Taking traditional Italian retortoli filigree and giving it an innovative twist. Literally. :) Each form is a unique expression of mastery, aiming to offer functional accessible bar ware that advances the craft of hand blown glass. Up on our website for sale now! Www.esque-studio.com/shop #skullcarafe #decanterwithstopper #winecarafe #lowballglasses #holidaygifts #giftsforhim #barware (at ESQUE STUDIO) https://www.instagram.com/p/CUyFrFJhKXE/?utm_medium=tumblr

#skullcarafe #decanterwithstopper #winecarafe #lowballglasses #holidaygifts #giftsforhim #barware

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Born in Flames: Andi Kovel of Esque Studio

It’s not every day that you find a beautifully made glass object that makes you laugh out loud with delight, and then still want to have that item in your home to use — often. But Esque Studio is less slapstick and more exceptional glassmaking with a touch of mischief, resulting from the combined skill and artistry of Andi Kovel and Justin Parker. And they are more than hands-on owners: the duo, who have worked together for two decades, essentially make every product that heads out the door of their Portland, OR-based studio. 

We’ve admired their clever, elegant glassware for years, from their gravity-defying Water Drop Jugs to playfully crumpled vases. They’ve also produced custom colorways for pitchers matching our most recent seasonal collections, featuring rich colors you can’t find just anywhere (see more here). We reached out to Andi Kovel to find out more about working with glass, the pair’s creative processes, and what keeps them excited to come back into the studio day after day. 

You’ve described your studio’s name, “Esque,” as an intentional acknowledgement to outside influences (the suffix itself meaning “in the manner of”). What are some of your external sources for inspiration?

We don’t spend much time looking at other glass artists’ work, preferring to work in a bit of a vacuum with little influence within our art form. Inspiration for me comes from everyday objects, nature, memory, and aesthetic and functional design needs.

Justin and I both work from different inspirations at the start of each piece. I always start from a sketch. I have countless notebooks filled with completed ideas and future works. I think that in creating working drawings, I’m able to free my work from the confines prescribed by the material. I’m able to create new and inspired forms in glass this way, and can find a connection to my fine art and paintings.  

Justin creates from the material itself. He designs with the glass in hand, and in this way is able to stretch the forms by playing off of the physical attributes of glass. Justin loves to play with optical qualities and distortions. I love to impose sculptural forms and conceptual meaning into my pieces. As glass artists, we are influenced by our learnings and technical knowledge. Our focus and interest is in the material itself — its behaviors and attributes comes directly from that familiarity.  

How do the materials and processes of working with glass effect what you make?

I was drawn to glass making immediately, as it’s such a physical art. I come from an athletic background, and loved the idea of using my entire body to create artwork. Another appeal for me was the aspect of teamwork. As a painter and sculptor, countless hours are spent alone in the studio. The move to glass was at first an obstacle, as there is always someone watching you, but it became a really meaningful part of the process.  

Then you have glass as a material. When hot, the consistency is like honey. It glows and drips and moves in this slow graceful manner. It is unlike any other material in its beauty. It is truly mesmerizing. Then it cools, and is rigid and cold and fragile. It has amazing contrast in its hot and cold states. We try to capture this materiality in our products.

How does the collaborative nature of glasswork factor into your work?

Justin and I have been working together for the past 20 years. We work everyday. Usually it is just the two of us producing all of our pieces. We are so accustomed with each other’s movements and techniques that, usually, we have no need for verbal communication. We both know our part of the dance to the point of pure instinct. The process is very involved, as it takes a physicality, intellectualism, and teamwork. I’m always a few steps ahead, mentally, from what my body is doing.

I’ve often heard our movements together described as a kind of ballet. It can be very graceful and smooth. It can also be a lot of pure determination and brute strength. This is the balance that is so alluring. I’ve been told that when I’m working, there is peacefulness to my expression. I believe that this comes from absolute concentration.

I design and blow my ideas, and Justin designs and blows his. We often come up with ideas together, where we both push the other’s original concept into something more. I also design pieces that Justin makes, and vice versa. We just try to keep the job even and fair, and we accentuate each of our strong points, while trying to keep the job fun and spirited.

What’s your favorite part of the process?

My favorite part of the job is designing and prototyping. I can draw a form on the floor in chalk one day, and be holding it in my hand the next. There’s no other material that’s so immediate. I do also enjoy making and working with molds. The glass wants to be a round smooth bubble, but molds give us the freedom to create sculptural and angled forms that defy the material’s wishes.

Finally, one aspect of Esque we absolutely love is its playfulness (such as vases shaped like honey bears, above). How do you make room for irreverence into your creative practice?

We have a bit of New York punk built into our personal attitudes towards life, and it shows up in our work. Our process is so playful and experimental in itself. So many glass designers take it so seriously. We want our designs to have a spark of that joy, as well as a questioning of conformity, rules, and what we don’t question as being the norm. I love awkwardness, the misfit — personified glass, when it makes you want to take it home and take care of it.

Thanks, Andi! 

Photos: Boone Speed Photography.

#heath ceramics #esque studio #highlight #glass #glassblowing #andi kovel #justin parker #designcolab #esqueglass #andikovel interview #modernglassdesign #trend setting designer #luxuryglass #innovativeglass #innovativeglassdesign #collectibles

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Repost the coolest project. The best launch party!

Esque Studio

#esque studio #blown glass #bushmills #portland #whiskey #handblownglass #blownawayseries #esqueglass #punkluxe #geoff mcfetridge #andikovel #justinparkerglass #boone speed #blockheadtools #glass #collectibles #customglassblowing #juxtapose #cool hunting #hype beast #talking your glass out #blownawaynetflix

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BESTSELLING | and customer favorite feature with @designwithinreach shop@now to grab a screaming deal with their semi-annual sale. All the most iconic design classics…in your reach:) To be included as represented designers and brand is one of the biggest honors of our career thus far. We are so grateful for the many years of partnership, keep it coming!!! ❤️ https://www.instagram.com/p/CT22CfyhoRX/?utm_medium=tumblr

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COLLECT | slumped mini vases in faded variations of hue. Redux of our iconic Slumped Vases and Pendants Circa 2010 Which color is your favorite??!! On sale on IG for our followers only before we launch 20% off msrp. $120 each DM to grab yours! Approx 4”x5”x8” (at ESQUE STUDIO) https://www.instagram.com/p/CTVfrnwPRoZ/?utm_medium=tumblr

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COLLECT | we are fired up to start dropping new designs from our Winter 21/22 collection!! Andi’s been working on edits and we’ll release as she goes here. Bauhaus Bottles, perfume bottles and decanters design by @andikovel are a play on scale and function. Exaggerated mass and huge stoppers are finished in metallic reduced silver frit. Meant as showstopper centerpieces. “The forms eliminate any details that distract from a purity of design contour, in the manner of the geometric focus of the Bauhaus movement”-Andi Photographed by Andi Kovel! #bauhausdesign #inventiveglassdesign #functionalart #usefulobjects #collectibles #punkluxe #blownawayseries (at ESQUE STUDIO) https://www.instagram.com/p/CTN1MPmvHlm/?utm_medium=tumblr

#bauhausdesign #inventiveglassdesign #functionalart #usefulobjects #collectibles #punkluxe #blownawayseries

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A shot of pure creative energy and joy always from working with friends. We came up with this colab over a cocktail. This ended up massive, and ended up a bowl glass stool in high vibe red. Nice job with the photos @andikovel (at ESQUE STUDIO) https://www.instagram.com/p/CSx1GN-n7N-/?utm_medium=tumblr