With leaky skylights in his studio and fragile supplies to protect, glass artist John Barber anxiously aimed to pull a tarp over the roof before ominous storm clouds approached last month.
Climbing up on the roof proved to be a huge misstep for the 65-year-old glass blower. He slipped and fell 10 feet onto concrete, landing on his hip. With pelvis and a femur broken, he was rushed to Mission Hospital in Mission Viejo on Dec. 15, days before he and his wife Rebecca were to hold their yearly holiday studio sale and open house.
“I climbed up on that roof like an idiot and fell off backwards,” said Barber, noting the accident was his second hip fracture. “I was actually lucky because the metal plate and screws holding my pelvis together from the first surgery were never removed and this time I did not require surgery to put it back together. And, I had no cuts or scrapes anywhere.”
The first hip repair occurred after an accident setting up a booth at an art fair. He also endured a year-long leg cast to recover from a motorcycle accident 25 years ago.
Given his accident history, Barber says the new mishap could have been worse. His injury will require “only” two or three months of intense physical therapy.
Together for 27 years, the Barbers see the misfortune as a sign of the shortness of life. A few months prior, they had discussed John’s possible retirement after a 45-year career glass blowing. “I have been blowing roughly 12 tons of glass per year; there are millions of pieces of my work out there, both public and private art.”
Now, he plans to extinguish the flames after a final season of the Sawdust Festival where he will celebrate his 40th anniversary this summer. “The furnace stays on. I’ll make enough work by then with my assistant and with already finished work,” he said.
While they haven’t set a formal retirement date, the couple plans to put their canyon home and studio up for sale and join Rebecca’s 93-year-old mother in Laguna Woods. “They have so many art facilities over there, maybe I’ll get into something like fused glass down the line,” he mused.
Barber started as an apprentice glass blower in Germany under master glass artist Erwin Eisch and also spent two years at the renowned State School for Glass Design in Zwiezel, Germany. After 20 years of study and apprenticeship in the European tradition, Barber said that he earned the right to call himself a master in 1992.
After working in Los Angeles and Orange County, Barber established his Laguna Canyon Studio in 1985. He first rented the premises for $650 a month. It was paradise then, due to the fantastic landscape replete with waterfall and pond and zoning that allowed to live, work and sell here, he said.
In 1988 he began demonstrating glass blowing at the Sawdust. John and Rebecca also owned a glass/mixed media gallery in the Coast Highway Pottery Place complex for five years before closing its doors in 2011.
Barber has created a legacy in Laguna Beach alone, acknowledged in his being named artist of the year in the town’s coming Patriots Parade, March 4.
Charlie Quilter, president of the 51st Patriots Day Parade, said the committee chose Barber because he is respected an artist and community contributor.
“John is not living in isolation in the canyon. He and Becky support cultural activities and his story as an artist is compelling. We are happy to get a chance to honor him,” said Quilter. The selection was made last November, he said.
Barber’s glass murals “Eternal Sunset,” adorn the Montage resort entry. His “Eucalyptus Urns” signify the entry to the resort kitchen garden. In collaboration with sculptor Luis Longi, he also created “Beacon” and “Usher In,” a sculpture and bench, respectively, in the city owned ACT V parking lot in Laguna Canyon.
In 2012, Barber received a $5,000 Seven-Degrees of Inspiration grant to create an ornate, under-the-sea themed glass sculpture titled “Feeding Frenzy,” completed the following year.
For most people who are self-employed, an unexpected work stoppage will prove a hardship. For the Barbers, Rebecca’s job as a receptionist for Kinsman & Kinsman, a Laguna Beach accounting firm, offers a financial cushion. “They were generous enough to let John join into group insurance,” explained Rebecca. They also have some savings, but Barber says they are also receiving help from the Sawdust’s Artist Benevolence Fund, which assists artists in need.
The fund was established in 1987 to help critically ill Sawdust artists, but has since re-organized to help any local artist. Grants amount to $1,000 per month, maximum.
The Susi Q Community Center also helped by providing Barber with a “life alarm” gadget that allows him to call for help when he can’t reach a phone and with some legal assistance, said Rebecca. Friends and family came to their aid as well. A contractor friend built a ramp for wheelchair access to their front door, and a relative repaired their aging Toyota at cost. Others have driven him to doctor’s appointments and come by with meals and good cheer.
“What better way to end one’s career than being driven around town in a parade,” he quipped.
