In the course of researching a specific area of Australian studio glass, I had the opportunity to closely investigate a group of pioneer glass artists who had worked in the Gippsland region of Victoria from the mid 1970's. I came to understand the true spirit of discovery that the glass movement was and the roles that different members played. An important achievement of that era was that in 1977. Nick Mount established the first privately owned production glass studio in Australia. The studio enabled Nick to embark on a long adventure with glass and seriously begin his own practice, and being a rare facility at the time, he extended the opportunity to others to work or be trained with him. Budgeree, Nick's business name for many years, was synonymous with quality hand blown production tableware. His Martini Set is in collection at the Art Gallery of South Australia and was included in the First International Design Year Book, 1985 (Thames and Hudson). Today, he is notable as one of the few pioneers who continue to blow glass and would be easily regarded among the most accomplished n the country over the entire course of his career.

Nick's personal glass collection contains mementos of past times and people, objects saved or traded with other makers in the course of his life with glass. It includes a car of clear mould-blown glass filled with candy that has now faded, and commemorative plates made for the opening of the first studios. These objects celebrate the serious beginnings of his glass practice - the car was made by Richard Marquis, Nick's early mentor and good friend to the present day; and the plates were made with Tony Hanning, who Nick has known since art college days and with whom he has had continuing working involvement, even briefly as business partner.

In the Australian studio glass community, Nick is a distinguished pioneer. He was among a handful of young enthusiasts who began exploring hot glass, at a time when there was no precedent. While this presented much freedom, it also posed many challenges. His development in studio design and technical expertise have formed the foundations of hot glass practice for many in his country. He was active in the growing glass community, becoming Federal President of Ausglass, the Australian Association of Glass Artists in 1987/88. Nick's wife Pauline, has had close involvement throughout the progress of the glass movement, and was Ausglass President herself in 1994/95. Their twenty-four year partnership with glass has been a collaborative success, and the glass practice has benefited significantly from their joint endeavour.

Nick has produced a great volume of production and commissioned work as well as significant pieces for exhibition. His practice follows the exacting Venetian traditions that he learned from Marquis in USA in the mid 1970s; he has also worked with masters Paul Marioni and Lino Tagliopietra. The finesse of his blown work is a trademark that few in Australia can match, being a product for his commitment to technique and practical discipline. He has a confirmed fascination and understanding of the processes of hot glass making, having explored many traditional techniques in the evolution of his own aesthetic.

While being taught by important mentors, Nick has in turn, become a generous teacher to many trainees both locally and internationally. He also provided lengthy traineeships at his won studios to many who have subsequently established their own successful practices. He was head of the Glass Studio at the Jam Factory Craft and Design Centre in Adelaide for three years until 1997 and has also been Tutor as well as Teaching Assistant at Pilchuck Glass School, USA, where he worked with Richard Marquis, Dante and Paul Marioni, Lino Tagliopietra, Bertil Vallien, Norman Courtney and Therman Statom.

Despite the strong traditional Italian influence, Nick's exhibition work bears his own contemporary inflections: it is reflected in the proportions, scale, choice of colours and decorative elements. His work is characterised by technical excellence, clean and elegant design, skilful and confident experimentation, and often an element of humour.

In his long career, Nick has received various distinctions, the most recent being the 1996 Bavarian state Prize. In 1997 his work was also shown in the prestigious "Portrait der Meister" exhibition, part of the "International Handwerkmesse Munchen".

This exhibition of oversized-perfume bottles reveals a new body of work using a variety of hot and cold glass techniques. The work explores the aesthetic of the perfume bottle, the intimate and luxury object, and offers a new interpretation by magnifying its scale and experimenting with the design of the components. Nick combines classic bottle forms with dramatic stoppers to produce a series of alluring sculptures, visual jewels, confirming the artistry possible in the hands and mind of a master glass blower.

Exhibitions are an important rite of passage for the artist, but they also enrich the lives of those who view them - with an exhibition in another country the celebration is even greater. You are invited to enjoy these elegant offerings from an Australian master.

Ivana Jirasek, 1998

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