Robert began building collectors' edition marbles at the suggestion of my father, Richard Hamon, who thought handmade marbles would showcase my uncle's talent and be easier on him than making heavy sculptures and large vases. Decades of working with big, heavy pieces had taken a toll of my uncle's joints and muscles. And he found that making marbles for collectors was a challenge.
Most of his marbles were sized from one to three inches. The fat, fashy three inch marbles were always my favorites. But, as time went by, I came to prefer the tiny one inchers. How my uncle got so much artistry into such a small space amazed me. I now have many of the large marbles, but my eye is drawn to the little guys, those diminitive wonders that rolled off my uncle's pipe like gems. I used to love looking at them while they were still hot, and the crystal was alive with heat, a red blush impregnating the glass.
Bob learned to love blowing marbles. And I loved to photograph them. I took the above photograph for a promotional flyer, a few days after the marbles came out of the kiln. It seemed that Uncle Bob had more fun making marbles than anything else. It was great fun just watching him work. And, of course, he was quite the comedian, who would make jokes and irreverent remarks while he worked, much to the amusement of all who watched.
-- Richard E. Hamon II