ESQUE STUDIO
Experimenting with form and technique is paramount to Esque’s core ambition. This glass design and blowing studio, founded by Justin Parker and Andi Kovel, pays an extraordinary attention to detail and quality to achieve a coherent vision of functional accessories, lighting and architectural elements. Justin and Andi, driven by an interest in the inherent attributes of glass, infuse
their knowledge into the design of each piece, so that it becomes both a fine piece of art and a sought-after collectible. Adding to its value, each piece is unique and handmade to order. The work also benefits from Esque’s state-of-the art ‘eco mission’. Their studio was built using cutting-edge technology to reduce waste and gas consumption. Two wind-powered furnaces run up to ten times more efficiently than traditional gas furnaces and produce zero CO2 emissions. Approximately 100 pounds of glass waste is recycled weekly into the smaller of the two furnaces and then re-used to produce eco-minded products, 100% recycled and chemical-free. Justin and Andi started as glass blowers for hire and found that time ‘linked us together as far as our passion for, and interest in, pushing the medium goes. We are each other’s perfect foil.’ The duo have risen to international acclaim over the past fifteen years (they were recently honored by Time Magazine as one of the ‘Design 100’, today’s one hundred most influential international designers) and now lead the American market for hand-blown, modern, functional glass work. Justin, most famous for his skill in creating enormous pieces of glass, studied under Italian masters with a focus on handmade glass sculpture. He is an accomplished artist, exhibiting at venues including the Brooklyn Museum of Art,and he has also produced fine art pieces for artists including Jim Dine, Kiki Smith and Tony Oursler. Andi is internationally celebrated as an influential accessory designer, glass blower and fine artist. She has exhibited with Claus Oldenburg, Damien Hirst and Kiki Smith, and has designed glass lines for Ralph Lauren, Anthropologie and Donna Karan, but she is most recognized for her new forms and techniques in the field of glass. Hand producing a collection of gorgeous vessels and edgy decorative accessories, inspiring art and beauty. JUSTIN PARKER
Justin Parker of York, Maine moved to San Francisco to study painting
and sculpture at the San Francisco Art Institute. He then transferred to San Francisco State to dedicate his time to glass blowing. Over the next few years he traveled the world to learn from master glass blowers in Venice, the Czech Republic, and Japan, as well as at every glass school in North America. After graduating he was offered jobs to teach glass and sculpture at Parsons School of Design and N.Y.U., and so moved to New York. Over the next few years he began working with artists from New York and around the world to help them create pieces and sculptures out of glass. Sometimes it would be prototyping designs for mass production, other times, creating one of a kind sculptures for artists such as Tony Oursler, Kiki Smith, Maya Lin and Jim Dine. During this time Parker, still in his mid twenties, began showing his work with well- known art dealer Ramis Barquett. He was also participating in group shows around Manhattan and Brooklyn. The last of these group shows was at the Brooklyn Museum of Art. Esque Design began in 1999 when he met and began working with artist Andi Kovel. With Justin's technical knowledge of traditional techniques, and the ability to blow huge pieces of glass, combined with Andi's sense for style and artistic influence, the two make incredible work together. ANDI KOVEL
Andi Kovel is celebrated internationally as an influential accessory designer and glass blower in addition to her career as a fine artist. She has exhibited with Claus Oldenburg, Damien Hirst and Kiki Smith; has designed glass lines for Ralph Lauren, Anthropologie and Donna Karen; was recognized by Time magazine as one of 100 most influential international designers, and is most recognized for her new forms, techniques and concepts in the field of glass. Andi's background in sculpture, painting, accessory design, and art theory uniquely equip her to become one of the most original and influential glass artists working today. Her work has been shown in galleries internationally, and she has taught at New York University, Parsons, Urban Glass, and the University of California, San Diego. In 2001, Kovel moved from her native New York to Portland, Oregon, to establish her studio, Esque, with her partner, Justin Parker. Their fresh techniques and successful experiments have won them wide acclaim as tastemakers of modern design.
