THE HOURGLASS

Judith Puckett-Rinella: When I first received a batch of feathers for the Whisper Lodge- they came with an awesome hand written card from your Father's workshop. On the back of the kraft stationery note card the phrase "Stay Wild" was printed in black bold letters.  This made me laugh out loud, then I promptly placed it behind our workstation where it still hangs and pleases me to no end each time I happen to glance at it. Stay Wild. I am sure this means different things to different people- but what does it mean to you and your Father?

Thayer Allyson Gowdy: "STAY WILD" to me is a lifestyle, a feeling, and my personal mantra. Live in the sunshine, swim the sea, and drink the wild air. Nature for me is something I cannot live without, as a part of my life, not something I do on vacation or every other weekend. While I love the urban energy, the sea and mountains are something that keeps me grounded, creative and open. Stay Wild reminds me to always let things be what they are, don’t fight nature, follow my instincts and listen to my heart. It’s about staying wild inside and out.

Joe Arborio (AKA POPS): STAY WILD reminds me every day that age holds no boundaries. Working with Thayer keeps me fresh, on the cutting edge. She lights up my imagination and found a way to share my passion with others. When I was younger wild meant sailing with the gunnel awash on our sailboat or surfing it down hurricane size waves.

At 64, getting a “Mohawk” to travel with my grandson Mason who was sporting one was wild. Living our lives outside the box for many years was something we just did naturally. It’s not what anyone thinks of us, it’s how we feel about each other that counts.

JPR: So both you and your Dad do a lot of other things.  You are a photographer in San Francisco, and your Dad lives and creates things in Vermont. How did this collaboration between the two of you begin? And tell us about some of the other things you are both up to.

TAG: I was visiting my folks about a year and half ago hanging in the barn with my dad and he was showing me all these amazing stained glass projects he was working on some commissioned, and some personal work. I was really impressed with his workmanship and his passion for the craft. I wanted to help him take his craft out into the world, share his brand, and our love for the wilderness with all the good folks out there. I suggested teaming up to make the business with my pops and it was all very organic and took off.

POPS: Two Christmas’ ago I asked Thayer what she’d like for a present. The request, two stained glass feathers turned into five when I couldn't decide which ones were more beautiful. The next thing I knew she proposed a collaboration, and our paths joined. Thayer snowboards, I ski and we both ride horses and motorcycles. We canoe down the nearby Clyde River and take our dogs on quiet walks by the lake, and up our mountainside. In the bounty of beauty around us, Thayer sees a photo, and I see stained glass.  

JPR: Thayer, how does your obsession with chasing light as a photographer inform the stained glass work?

TAG: Interesting you ask. I really let my pops run with his heart on most things. We discuss the bird in mind or object and its concepts, or the real bird colors drives the color palette. The kind of glass is sort of a trial and error. We often have an idea in mind, like the Crow for example. I felt it should be solid black glass but when we did our first samples, it just wasn’t right. I think for me and my pops it’s a balance for us between the feeling of the contrast and the opacity.

I am always open to new ideas and learning new things. I thought I would love the look of water-glass and the way the light moves through the pieces and I do, don’t get me wrong, but the Youghiogheny Glass won me over when my dad showed me the first feather made with it.

There's something about the texture and seeing the colors on the glass versus the light moving through the glass that resonates with me. Lately though, I have been shifting and LOVE the pastel glass as in the new Scalene series we're doing. The subtle, soft colors are winning me over. I am like nature, constantly letting myself follow my instincts and what draws me in.

I travel non-stop for my work and myself. I'm wildly inspired by color, light and shapes. All the things I see when I travel influence me further both as a photographer and creative director for The Wilderness Workshop. 

JPR: Joe, what was your first stained glass piece?

POPS: A seagull flying over the ocean, a transom window, my first attempt done in the mid-seventies. I'd never worked with stained glass before, but from the first moment I picked up a glass cutter it felt right. Although it would be years before I returned to the studio, the memory of how much I loved working with stained glass haunted me.

Today, Thayer will suggest a color combination and I search through my collection of glass to see if it will work. She'll describe a texture, and I’ll see movement, she describes a shape, and the form jumps out.

Often we'll be spot on in agreement, and other times we'll be fathoms apart, but somehow a piece of art is born.

JPR: Joe, you refer to Vermont as the Northeast Kingdom, which I love. How did this phrase take shape?

POPS: The Northeast Kingdom, usually called the NEK, refers to the corner of Vermont bordering on Canada to the north, and New Hampshire to the east. Its towns, villages and gores remain, for the most part, wild and untouched.

JPR: The feathers you created for Whisper have a different structural outline than any of the other feathers you have ever created- the middle or spine of the pieces have a stained glass center rather than just solder. How did this come about? Was it difficult to perfect?

POPS: The feathers needed a touch to set them apart from our others, so I decided to attempt a full quill. The 1/4" to "0" width was not as difficult as it would seem and gave your feather exactly what I was looking for.

Thayer named them "He Whispers" and "She Whispers". The answer, "The Whisper", will appear on the scene as a small, very unique offspring.

JPR: What led to your choice of pattern and color for the special edition? What were your inspirations?

POPS: When you contacted us I looked at your site and immediately designed the "Study in Black and White". Your interest in a feather instead and the Yin and Yan concept sent us searching for a combination that expressed the Whisper Lodge essence. After much discussion, trial and error (after I make a feather I often sleep on it to see how it feels in the morning) we settled on the pink and black, but something was missing.

JPR: How does the 3000 miles plus distance between you and your Dad affect the collaboration?

TAG: It increases our expense on mailing! We ship to each other all the time, ideas, samples etc. Other than that I think the distance has little affect on us. I bring my closeness with NorCal into the mix, and my pops brings the Northeast Kingdom into the mix.

POPS: For me the distance proves its own Yin/Yang, occasionally challenging, humorous, inventive and exciting. Thayer is always an inspiration and, with her finger on the pulse of what's happening in the art world, always keeps us on our toes.

JPR: Joe, what did you make prior to the stained glass work? How does living in the Northeast Kingdom inspire what you do?

POPS: As often happens life got in the way and I didn't return to the studio again until 2009. For the intervening years my artistic talents came in the form of food art.  I was a chef for 38 years. Part of that time, Thayer's Mom and I lived on a sailboat in Mystic operating a gourmet food truck in the marina and restoring a stern wheel paddleboat, plying the Mystic River doing private dinner charters. 

When I visited the Northeast Kingdom in 2000 our future took a decided turn, and we bought our homestead returning to solid land. After carrying my box of stained glass tools with us for years, I unearthed it and setup a studio in our barn.

Being self taught, I soon learned just as the world had evolved so had the art of stained glass...tools, techniques and a wondrous variety of glass to chose from.  Using 100+ year-old windows, I made my wife a stained glass "Garden Window" and our new venture, Geppetto's Work Shoppe, began. As wondrous as being on the water was we found the flora and fauna of the mountains a worthy rival. Watching the snowfall, sultry summer sunsets and the brush strokes of fall colors we still were able to reach into a starry sky and touch the stars just as we did on the boat.

Now The Wilderness Workshop takes up most of our time.

JPR:  Tell us something about yourselves that we need to know. 

TAG: I struggle daily with wanting to sell everything I own and move to a remote cabin in the wilderness! My love of the ocean, urban art and my local coffee shop keep me in San Francisco for now.

POPS: Every year I join thousands of other motorcycles and travel to Washington, D.C. as part of Rolling Thunder. Our family helps me display my Uncle Jimmy's memorial flag in front of the Connecticut section of the World War II monument, and recite the names of those close to us that served their country.

JPR: Tell us one place you must see and do before you die. 

TAG: The falcon hunters in Mongolia. Really learn to salsa, and speak Spanish fluently.

POPS: I really think in terms of what I want to do while I'm alive! I would love to RV across America with my wife and dog, ride my motorcycle to the end of the road, travel by boat down the inland waterway, cruise a canal in Europe and revisit Italy. Learn to play the cello.

JPR: What is next for you?

TAG: continuing to make new work that resonates with myself and my pops. exploring the extinct birds line, and finding new ways to make designs with stained glass in a way that is simple, rustic but modern.

I would like to consider expanding to workshops in urban areas with my pops. Stay tuned!

JPR:  Stay Wild Wilderness Workshop! Whisper intends to fully adhere to your mantra.

TAG: Please do! Life is short, What do you want to do, who do you want to be, what makes your heart beam like the sun?

POPS: As I said before, "It's not what anyone thinks about us, but how we feel about each other that matters.” I kiss my wife goodnight every night, good morning every morning, I kiss her hello and goodbye because one never knows.............remember, "LIFE IS A JOURNEY.”