Two glass craftsmen a generation removed create colorful lamps and fishing floats in Central Point

CENTRAL POINT — A new glass-blowing shop near downtown has proven a colorful combination of art meets function and waltz meets rock-and-roll.

At first glance, 62-year-old Louis Colosimo and 28-year-old Willo Sernovitz, owners of the recently opened Red Oak Glass, seem an unlikely team.

Colosimo is an even-tempered, former college art teacher while Sernovitz is a free-spirited former glass shop owner with a passion for jumping into things head-first.

Colosimo says Sernovitz is "closer to hard rock ’n’ roll"; he describes himself as "more at a waltz."

"He speeds me up and I slow him down," Colosimo said. "I go put on ‘Phantom of the Opera’ and he takes it off and puts on Jerry Garcia. "What we come up with is a unique thing."

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Despite their differences, the two insist they are on the same wavelength when it comes to their craft.

Spending countless hours each day laboring over a 2,100-degree furnace and contending with 150-pound batches of melted glass, they have created a look sought by galleries around the country, including some in New York and Texas. It’s also been popular with Rogue Valley residents.

Their specialty — decorative glass lamps — have been a hit at the Lithia Artisans Market and with restaurants and retail outlets around the valley.

Colosimo said the lamps, strikingly similar to lamps sold in Italy since the dawn of electricity, are popular because of their combination of art and function.

"If you think about it, everyone puts color on the walls, but nothing else really holds much color. By using our lamps, you can add real intense color to a room," he said.

Red Oak Glass also makes decorative glass fishing floats, replicas of those used on Japanese fishing boats over the past century, which coastal communities in recent years have taken to hiding on shorelines for scavenger hunting to keep tourism afloat during winter.

Embracing the Internet as a marketplace, Colosimo and Sernovitz will soon offer custom ordering via the Web.

Sernovitz, a former owner of Liquid Lights in Eureka, Calif., said Central Point has proven an unexpected haven for artists like himself and Colosimo.

"Central Point has been the most welcoming community I have ever known," Sernovitz said. "I had a little hesitation when we first started working here and I wasn’t sure how we’d be responded to, but the city of Central Point has given us so much support and so much energy.

"People that live in Ashland don’t realize the type of old Oregon community that’s here. We’re really devoted and passionate about being, not just a business in the city, but an integral part of the community."

Sernovitz said he and Colosimo will continue to develop their products together to provide functional art that tells the tale of two very different — but very similar — individuals.

"I’m your crazy eclectic artist … very passionate about what I do," Sernovitz said. "Everything is an emotional breakthrough for me. I can’t imagine doing anything else with my life.

"Louis is more cautious. He’s the one thinking about where we’re gonna land. If not for him, we’d be taking too many risks. If not for me, we wouldn’t be taking any, which is funny because we’re both Scorpios. If I was 40 years older we’d be the same person."

Sometimes the age difference hits a sore spot with the elder partner.

"Once in awhile they say ‘Your son is so nice,’ and Louis gets all pissed," Sernovitz said. "He’s not my grandpa and he’s not my dad, but he’s an incredible mentor and best friend.

"We make a great team."

Buffy Pollock is a free-lance writer living in Medford. E-mail her at buffypollock@juno.com