Written by Caitlin Reclusado
We have the honor of being one of the very first stores to carry Matt Glasby's incredible jade pieces. His jade earrings are a beloved favorite of many of our customers, and they fill our cases like exotic butterflies with wings of vibrant greens and rich earth tones. His elegant, often intricately carved jade pendants nest in among the earrings, though they don't usually rest for long, finding their new home quite swiftly. We're fortunate to carry his work here at the shop because Matt isn't just a carver of jade. He's in a deep, respectful relationship with one of our most treasured resources here in Big Sur.
Matt didn't plan on becoming a jade carver. In fact, in the beginning, he wasn't interested in jade at all. Several of his roommates were die hard jade hunters, but he didn't understand the appeal. Then, in 1998, that changed. The highway was washed out from the unrelenting rains of El Nino, and you could only travel to Big Sur for small windows of time as they rebuilt the road. One of Matt's roommates got his truck stuck on a dirt road and needed a tow, so Matt travelled down to help him out. They then had 3 hours to wait for the road to reopen. His friend suggested killing time by hunting for jade, and without much else to do, Matt agreed. They headed to a favorite local spot where Matt got the best piece of the day...as well as a fever for hunting for jade. He kept jade hunting as a hobby, often driving his motorcycle down the coast and bringing back a backpack full of specimens to work with. He used his roommate's lapidary grinding wheel, and later got a chance to show his pieces at Big Sur Jade Fest. Happily, he was completely bought out, with many of his pieces being purchased by other locals. This show of support encouraged him, and by the time he transferred to college in Long Beach, he had changed his major from architecture to sculpture. He had fallen in love with carving, often carving for up to 15 hours a day, and decided he was going to do it full time. He began making batches of earrings to support himself and started to become known in the world of jade carvers. He was asked to be the transformation artist on the Travel Channel show, Cash and Treasures, which brought a lot of attention to his craftmanship and skills. His passion for carving continued to grow, and he won several international jade carving awards. He has also had the pleasure of working with other master jade carvers like Donn Salt and Deborah Wilson. A lot of his time is now spent raising his family, carving jade, and sharing his love of working jade with the world through workshops and lectures.
Matt's a big believer that the jade shapes the carver as much as the carver shapes the jade, and his relationship with the stone itself is his biggest source of inspiration. He's also compelled by the culture he grew up with: surfing, psychedelic surrealism, pop culture and the delicate, feminine forms found in the natural world. But mostly, it's the process of just showing up to do the work every day, as much as possible, and keeping his attention focused on the present moment. Being able to relax into the repetitive motion of sanding, shaping, and carving keeps him embodied. It's a gateway into that feeling of "no time" and becoming a witness to what's happening with the stone. He takes whatever is inspiring him, and takes whatever skills he’s learned through drawing, design, and muscle memory, and works with the stone to bring it all to life. He loves having a relationship with jade because it's colorful, it's challenging, and it never gets boring.
His advice to other creatives is to get rid of your expectations. There is no divine inspiration behind creativity, creativity happens from the doing, and as soon as you start doing something, you’re being creative. If you focus only on the results, you’ll lose the point. The joy is not on the other side of what you are doing, the joy IS the doing, and the only thing to worry about is how to bring that quality into what you are creating. Dedicate yourself to your craft, not the end results, and know that it takes thousands of hours to really learn something. The trick is that there is no trick. Know that no matter your art form, you have to be forgiving with yourself, because your work is always a practice no matter your experience.Be the constant student.
Stop by The Phoenix Shop to see Matt Glasby’s latest creations!
You can also click here to see what we carry on-line
To learn more about Matt, you can also visit his website, https://www.matthewglasby.com/