The Molten Magic of Glass Inspires an Artist’s Creative Imagination

KULSHAN (MOUNTAIN) BEAR DANIEL FRIDAY (KWUL KWUL TW) Glass, 14 x 8 x 3 inches fridayglass.com, pieceartgallery.com

THE ARTIST: Daniel Friday (Kwul Kwul Tw)

A FAMILY OF ARTISTS: “I’m from the Lummi Nation, which is historically from the San Juan Islands in the Puget Sound area. I grew up with a lot of artists in my family. My great grandfather and namesake was a pretty famous Coast Salish pole carver. We call them story poles, but they’re more colloquially named totem poles. My aunt was a basket weaver, and some of my first memories with my grandmother were making things with our hands.”

SEATTLE GLASS: “Seattle is such a huge hub for glass. I worked at the Chihuly Boathouse for 20-plus years. The real way to learn is to work with other artists. In Coast Salish culture, we call that a ‘sit beside art.’ You learn by sitting beside the master or your teacher and helping them do their thing. Working with something that’s molten and 2,300 degrees—it just drew me in right away. Glass has a magical way of putting you in the moment like no other thing does. It commands your respect.”

ON BEARS: “Our family crest, of the house of Haeteluk, is a bear. I feel a great kinship to the bear. It’s sort of a guardian spirit for me. I just go for this simple silhouette. I try and give them some animation, and the recipe for each one of them is different as far as color. You’re imposing your will on glass, to will it into this shape or form, and it has a lot of limitations and challenges. The trick of glass is that it’s just a liquid that’s frozen; it’s a unique material to work with.”

NEXT: Friday’s work will be on view at Denver’s Coors Western Art Exhibit and Sale in January 2025.

As featured in Mountain Living’s November/December 2024 issue.