An Evening with
Doc Roberts
Sculptural Penguin
Thursday, April 29, 2021
In his glass work and as owner of Doc Roberts Glass, Doc draws on his experiences in two areas. One was growing up in Las Vegas, NV and spending most of his time outdoors with nature. The other is his extensive travels to Mexico, Canada, Jamaica, Aruba, Ireland, China and the Philippines.
Growing up in Las Vegas, Nevada, most of his time was spent turning over rocks, looking for lizards, snakes and lots of fishing. Doc loves the outdoors.
He is also influenced by his many travels to countries including Mexico, Canada, Jamaica, Aruba, Ireland, China and the Philippines. As a result of his travels, he has come across many shapes and colors. This paired with Doc’s mystical imagination, has inspired creativity in his designs. He sought insight from other experts including Loren Stump, Milon Townsend and Vittorio Costantini. Doc says “with the coveted secrets I have learned domestically and abroad I’m still learning to hone my skills with this enigmatic material.”
The last 12 years Doc has been doing sculptures, pendants and small critters along with cremation pendants in both soft glass and Borosilicate. He opened a small teaching studio in south Texas that has been open for the last 8 years where he teaches basic beginner classes along with a few advanced classes. Doc has worked along with the Victoria Independent School District and private middle schools in the area to promote lampworking and demonstrations.
Most recently, Doc has worked with the University of Houston Victoria to offer field trips for classes before covid. He has also given a lecture and demonstration at the Museum of the Coastal Bend on the glass Figas that were found in and around the fort and sunken ship wreck in the Matagorda Bay from the 1680’s
You can see more about Doc Roberts and his work on his website.
You can also find him on Instagram or Facebook at Doc Roberts Glass and on tiktok @theflameworker.
After the Demo Update!
(If you missed it, remember that members can watch the recorded demo on the Facebook Members’ Page, check it out! And if you aren’t a member but would like to be, visit the Membership page)
Doc told us some of his story and journey with glass. He actually got started because of a bead his wife wanted as a gift. He decided he could make it himself, which – in the end, with many a failure along the road – he did! Doc Roberts shared with us some of the things he has learned in his quest to understand and create with glass.
We watched as he made an off mandrel penguin while he talked us through the procedure. He told us, as he tells his students, of the importance of practicing the various steps so that in the end a good result can be obtained.
He also thinks ahead, and does things in the order that will allow him to work so that he can see what he is doing, avoiding adding things that will hamper him as he moves on to other areas.
Doc told us some of the ways he has varied his penguins, from wearing Santa or Cowboy hats to carrying candy canes and riding snowboards! He says he enjoys making animals and critters, and they all begin much the same way. The shapes and colors he uses are influenced by his travels in the US and abroad.
Proportion control is the key to Doc’s sculptural library of more than 180 “critters” and he says that Gravity is the tool he uses the most often. He says the less he touches the glass with tools, the better. He also explained how he often uses a charred clothespin as a tool to hold his sculpture while removing the punty!