Calico Cat, 2015

Louis La Rooy  

Louis is an artist in the forefront of his field and his pieces are technical feats in style, execution and dimension. After his studies at the Rietveld Academy and the National Academy in Amsterdam, Louis la Rooy began his career in 1966 as a decorator for a company specialized in window-display materials. When this company also started making glass decorations, Louis became so fascinated by the material that he decided to increase his working knowledge of it. For this reason, he started working for Glasindustrie Van Tetterode Amsterdam in 1966. Louis spent the following year almost entirely in the United States to teach and promote the technique of application in cooperation with the Willet Stained Glass Company. 

In 1968, he returned to the Netherlands and since then he has designed and realized many works of art at Van Tetterode. Apart from making his own projects, Louis is also commissioned to realize the glass designs of Dutch artists among whom Corneille, Appel and Wolkers. 

In 1981, through application, he created an enormous window designed by Rufino Tamayo, a project which allowed him to stay in Mexico for nearly a year. In addition, Louis realized many glass projects for both the Dutch government as well as for private customers. Furthermore, he participated in a number of co-exhibitions in the Netherlands and abroad. 

At the moment, Louis produces at the Van Tetterode glass studio in Amsterdam. This well-equipped studio is divided into a flat-glass, hot-glass and metal section where numerous projects are created by using techniques such as application, sandcasting, glassblowing, fusion, sandblasting and etching. 
Louis also gives workshops to teach the many glass techniques to fellow artists. After a career of 50 years working with glass, La Rooy is still fascinated by the medium and ever in search of new possibilities and techniques. His work has been viewed and is collected by many people worldwide.