Nature and luxury have two things in common. They can maintain elegance while being pure chaos. In other words, they can both be beautiful and powerful. Nature can move us, and the desire of a luxury good, can make us move. These statements can be reversed as well and hold true. Reflecting on these two elements of inspiration drove my travels to Switzerland and the Swiss Alps.

Much like many of my travels, I wanted to see something I hadn’t seen before and to connect with nature. Switzerland added the extra element of luxury resorts, elegant chocolate, and one of the cleanest and well organized places on this planet. There aren’t that many places on Earth that have a Rolex or Louis Vuitton store with a forest and snow covered mountains only a few paces away.

When my wife and I arrived in Bern, I was blown away by how the homes and buildings were organized. Although the structures are seemingly uniform they’re all unique in their own way, similar to the glass I use in my wall sculptures. Each structure is an essential element to the towns design. From the bridge that connects the center to the rest of the world to the perfect green grass and trees surrounding the city. If even one building was removed, the whole town would feel different no matter where you were standing. Just from this feeling, I felt a glass and metal sculpture brewing in my brain.

I thought the sculpture would be an homage to the design of Swiss towns, and began sketching every moment I had that wasn’t consumed with fondue and chocolate. And then everything changed. We took a train to the village of Zermatt and it was time to connect with nature. Now if you’ve been to Zermatt, you already know where I was headed. We ventured outside of the village and into the Alps. As we walked, I could feel the entire mountain range underneath me. It was a connection to nature I hadn’t experienced before. This experience wasn’t about trees or animals, it was about the landscape carved by the shifts of the Earth millions and millions of years ago. Through millenniums of seismic activity, this land was formed in its current setting. Just thinking about how many subtle movements contributed to this massive landscape gave me a deep feeling of creative energy.

And there it was… the perfect peak of Switzerland... The Matterhorn. Standing 4,478 meters (14,692 ft) above me was the stunning mountain, sitting on the same snow covered Earth I was standing on. The Matterhorn truly lives up to its German name, translated as “The Peak in the Meadows.” Again, I was feeling the amount of movement and work Mother Nature put in to create this grand vista. I imagined what my view would have been like before the glaciers moved through, carving everything in their path. I felt connected to The Matterhorn. My next Glass Grid was being born right in front of me. I could see it forming as though my imagination was the glacier moving through the frigid landscape.

My strong desire to create finally met the last piece of inspiration I needed. As soon as we got back on the train I started drawing and sketching - still inspired by the powerful mountains. It’s a relatively well known secret that the road can be a great space to ideate and create, just ask Jeff Bezos. Not a lot has been said about the inspiration of a slow moving train in the Swiss countryside. I sketched endlessly as we passed trees, meadows, and villages as we chugged along on the train tracks.

There is no better place for an artist to sketch than riding through the Swiss countryside by rail

Each iteration was better than the last and finally after I burned through pages and pages of my notebook, I finally had it. A glass and metal sculpture that captured the coolness, crispness, and the magnitude of my experience: Glacial.

Glacial, Glass and Metal Wall Sculpture - Part of the Karo Studios Glass Grids Series

Whether you’ve been to The Matterhorn, or dream to scale it’s peak one day, Glacial can bring the energy of the Swiss Alps into your world. It’s an honor and a gift to be able to travel the globe and find inspiration in every pocket and to create for you. I’m always seeking new adventures and new travel destinations and I’d love to hear about your travels. Get in touch, and maybe the next Glass Grid will spark a fond memory for both of us!

Switzerland: Where Nature Meets Luxury