When working with glass he says hot is good. “There are times where, if it gets too cold, it’ll break because it’s too much stress and stress will break me too,” said Balster.
As a kid, Balster knew he wanted to be an artist, but it wasn’t until he was a young adult that he was introduced to glass. “It was a summer job. I was doing what they call cold working for another glass artist in Minneapolis,” said Balster.
The heat was nothing new for Balster who grew up on a small farm in Minnesota. He worked his way up to a glassblower and never turned back. “I really like the idea of using color in a three-dimensional way that you cannot if you were painting on a canvas,” explained Balster. “It’s not an illusion as much as it is a real object.”
Balster settled in Louisville in 2003 after traveling from the headwaters of the Mississippi River and then to Seattle. “I found it to be a really nice place to live and actually make art because it’s such like an artsy town,” said Balster.
It’s also home to the biggest art show he’s taken part in — the St. James Court Art Show.
“That’s another opportunity to kind of engage with my audience instead of Facebook or social media,” said Balster. “It’s nice to actually have the piece in your hands and talk to people.”
He’s one of over 600 artists from across the country who spends weeks and sometimes months preparing for the show that attracts an average of 250,000 visitors to the historic Old Louisville neighborhood.
Balster’s hoping his unique and out-of-this-world art that is inspired by science fiction catches their eyes. “These things look like an alien but also a little fun, playful critters,” said Balster. “I like how the glass is reminiscent of a living creature that we haven’t yet discovered, made out of glass on another planet, maybe. Who knows?”
The art show starts at 10 a.m each day and runs until 6 p.m. except on Sunday when it wraps up at 5 p.m.