Over the weekend Netflix released a reality competition show called Blown Away where 10 contestants duke it out using the art of glassblowing. One of these contestants stood out from the rest, showing himself to be an expert inventive craftsman.
This person is Janusz Pozniak and throughout the 10 episode series, his abilities to make innovative glass craftsmanship made him one of the show’s biggest highlights.
But fans of the series might be curious about who the glassblower is beyond the confines of the series. Here is everything to know about Janusz Pozniak from the Netflix show Blown Away.
Who is Janusz Pozniak from Netflix’s Blown Away?
According to his website, Pozniak has actually been involved with glass blowing for three decades, starting at the age of 19. Given this knowledge, it’s no wonder he is so skillful in the art form. He moved from the UK to Seattle in his teens to study under the arm of Dale Chihuly–who is also a world-famous glass sculptor.
In addition, Pozniak was already known around the world for his work giving lessons, and mentoring others in the field. Even before the show made a splash on Netflix, fans of his artwork knew of him from YouTube. Not because he has a YouTube channel but specifically because there are videos all over the web with Pozniak giving demonstrations to different colleges, institutions, and other places overseas helping others become better glass blowers. See the video below as an example :
On top of all this, of all the contestants of the show, it’s very clear his motivations with his artwork as well as joining the competition stem from being a family man. All throughout the series, Pozniak speaks about his child being the reason he decided to enter the competition. Furthermore, Pozniak said in a recent interview with Seattle Times his wife urged him to enter the show so that his impressive style of glassblowing could gain more awareness.
He even discussed how being on the show caused him so much stress that he had to confide in her constantly:
“I was in tears on the phone with my wife because the stresses built up. Basically, you’re blowing glass every three days and there’s all the (expletive) to deal with in between that, making the piece, the piece cooling down overnight, then you’ve got to cold work it and glue it and present it in a gallery, and then be judged and eliminated. And all the waiting around to do with just making TV. So it all added up.”
Pozniak’s family being his driving point for his artistic inspiration and reasons for entering Blown Away make him one of the most relatable contestants to root for on the show. Regardless of the outcome, the future is undeniably bright for this extremely talented glassblower.
All 10 episodes of Blown Away are streaming on Netflix now.
absolutely awe inspiring to watch this man work. I wish him all the best for he and his family.
I Absolutely wish him the Very Best as well!! He is as close to Perfection in his glass art as I can Imagine. Brilliant !!