‘Catalyst Sessions’ recap: Duncan McClellan

“Glass,” Duncan McClellan explained Wednesday on The Catalyst Sessions, “is so malleable – it can be transparent, it can be translucent, it can be opaque. It can look very fluid. It can look very hard. It fan look very soft … it really is, in some ways, the most ideal material to work in because of the different ways it can be utilized.”

McClellan opened his studio and gallery – Duncan McClellan Glass – 11 years ago in the Warehouse Arts District. He very quickly became the most prolific, and most successful, glass artist in the community. And he’s the biggest cheerleader for the medium, too, launching glasscoast.com in 2018 as a way for the world to learn about the preponderance of glass art creators, studios and galleries in Pinellas.

As part of Tuesday’s multi-faceted interview, the New York-born, Orlando raised artist and businessman was explaining why glass drew him in and held his gaze – as opposed to, say, painting or pottery.

The drawback, he said, is the expensive nature of the raw materials and equipment. “And if I make a small mistake and I’m a painter, it’s covered. If I make a small mistake in a (glass) piece, it’s garden art. In my garden. I can’t even sell it.

“And I have a few examples of that.”

Today on The Catalyst Sessions: Musician Roger Bartlett.

Streaming weekdays at 7 p.m. on the Catalyst Facebook page. All episodes are archived on our YouTube page.