蜜柚直播

Among them is a black and white photo of his younger self standing on a beach in England, blowing into a trumpet. Another shows an amoebalike ceramic piece he made years ago. He probably relates more to the first photo; it represents how he feels today 鈥� energized and creative 鈥� as he officially retires from running his downtown glass art studio.

On Oct. 1, Philabaum came full circle when he sold his 38-year-old glass art business. For the first time since those aged photographs were taken, he will be free to create purely for pleasure with no commissions or business projects to slow him down.

And for the first time in the nearly four decades since he opened his namesake gallery, he won鈥檛 have to wake up early and worry about the business of art; he can now focus solely on the making of it.

He鈥檚 leaving the business details to his longtime manager Alison Harvey, who after 10 years of working alongside Philabaum is taking it over.

She and her husband, Dylan, bought the business from Philabaum, giving him no more excuses to act on the plans he announced two years ago to retire.

鈥淲hat retirement?鈥� Philabaum said with a laugh. 鈥淥nce you鈥檙e an artist and you own your own business you never really retire. I was 71 鈥� I was supposed to be full-time retired 鈥� well, that was three years ago.鈥�

Days before the sale became final, Philabaum walked through the gallery, pointing to where visitors used to sit and watch him as he would mold, bend and transform viscous, 1,200-degree glass at the end of a metal rod. He sold his 500-pound furnace when he announced his retirement two years after he was diagnosed with Parkinson鈥檚 disease, so part of the old hot shop has been transformed into additional gallery space.

鈥�(I鈥檓) reinventing myself as a painter,鈥� he said. 鈥淚鈥檒l be 74 in the spring, so I have to start downsizing and doing something with all this crap before I kick the bucket and leave it with all for my kids to deal with. I鈥檓 probably gonna give a lot of my work to the 蜜柚直播 Museum of Art.鈥�

Philabaum put Southern 蜜柚直播 on the map for glass art. From the mounted glass flowers on the wall of the University of 蜜柚直播鈥檚 Highland Market to flying carpets hanging from the ceiling at the 蜜柚直播 airport, his art is admired and praised by many.

Pedestals, shelves and display cases with more than 500 glass sculptures fill the 2,500-square-foot downtown gallery that was once home to a Tastee Freez fast-food restaurant. By the building鈥檚 exterior, you鈥檇 never know that such rich, vibrant art was living inside, like an unassuming wooden chest filled with glittering gems.

鈥淢y favorite part is when the door opens and their mouths drop when they walk in the door,鈥� Philabaum said of the gallery鈥檚 visitors. 鈥淚 would say that one of the nicest surprises in the city of 蜜柚直播 is the Philabaum Glass Gallery.鈥�

Sun beaming in from the skylights across from the bustling arts warehouse district on North Sixth Avenue reflects off of glass sculptures from over 50 artists across the country. Philabaum and his wife, Dabney, still own the building that houses the gallery at 711 S. Sixth Ave. The Harveys will be leasing the building from them.

In her element

鈥淚 am hoping that Alison and Dylan will infuse the gallery with a fresh energy and a spark of creativity that will continue to bring people to our business,鈥� Philabaum said. 鈥淭he only other option was we kept going until I dropped over, but I couldn鈥檛 leave my wife and my kids with all the stuff. So, when Alison said she wanted to take it over we were thrilled.鈥�

鈥淭om is leaving a large legacy behind,鈥� said Harvey, a mother of three 鈥� ages 7 months, 3 and 5. 鈥淲ithout Tom, glass in 蜜柚直播 wouldn鈥檛 be the same. It鈥檚 big shoes to fill.鈥�

On a recent afternoon as faint opera music played in the background, Harvey鈥檚 eyes lit up with excitement as she gave a tour of the maze-like gallery. She鈥檚 in her element, both figuratively and literally.

鈥淕lass is my favorite,鈥� said Harvey, who earned an art history degree from the University of 蜜柚直播, 鈥淲e all kind of understand how to apply paint to a canvas or how a pot is thrown, but with glass there is always a unique mystery.鈥�

She described the intricate 鈥渢apestries鈥� that teeter on precarious-looking edges throughout the gallery. Each is created over the span of multiple days using 9,000 individual fibers of layered glass.

鈥淕lass begs to be touched,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 love how glass sometimes feels alive and sometimes it feels like a moment frozen in time.鈥�

鈥淚 knew right when I started here that I never wanted to do anything else,鈥� she added. 鈥淚t is such a special place and this beauty needs to be carried on. It was too special to let it close.鈥�

Counting blessings

Philabaum said he is excited to begin creating art as he enters his 鈥渞eal鈥� retirement. He can no longer work with glass 鈥� his Parkinson鈥檚 makes it impossible to have the steady hands needed to work with burning hot material. Instead, he is focusing on fused glass collage paintings, which he has been creating for the past couple years since his diagnosis.

鈥淥ne way you discover you have Parkinson鈥檚 is when you develop tremors in your hands and that鈥檚 where it first started,鈥� he recalled. 鈥淭he biggest challenge was recognizing the fact that I had to change my lifestyle.鈥�

Philabaum said he has accepted his disease as part of his life and has adapted to his new physical limitations.

鈥淧arkinson鈥檚 has really just shown me humility. I鈥檓 just trying to keep it in perspective,鈥� he said. 鈥淵ou have to count your blessings.鈥�

鈥淚t鈥檚 pretty weird. It鈥檚 been my life,鈥� Philabaum said. 鈥淎nd it鈥檚 really been a good ride; I traveled the world, met all kinds of interesting people. Having an art gallery and being a producing artist was a trick to pull off; it required lots of long days and long nights seven days a week.鈥�

According to Harvey, that commitment from Philabaum is evident.

鈥淓verybody who comes in here leaves happy,鈥� Harvey said. 鈥淭his place is filled with passion and beauty and it鈥檚 a family-run business. It speaks to what 蜜柚直播 is.鈥�