Portrait: BEI PAULI - GLASHANDWERK UND DESIGN

18.04.2024

#bayernkreativPORTRAIT: For Ramona Pauli, glass is more than just a material. The glass painter and product designer uses it to create expressive household products, furnishings and sculptures. Ramona will travel regularly from Zwiesel in the Bavarian Forest to Nuremberg for OM7's one-year start-up program KREATIV Garage. In our interview, she shares her reasons and motivation for taking part in the program. She also talks about her attachment to stained glass and her home and work location "Zwiesel" in the Bavarian Forest, where she founded the Gründerwerkstatt Glas Zwiesel in 2023. Of course, there is also a look into the future ... Read now:

Dear Ramona, you are a glass painter and product designer and specialize in the production of household products, furnishings and sculptures made of glass. What motivated you to work so intensively with glass?

I always painted a lot as a child. It was the colors that captivated me. Then I discovered painting on glass. The fascination of glass comes from its transparency and shine, where light plays the decisive factor. So in glass painting you paint with light and color. Colors are created whose incredible depth and intensity no other material than glass can match. So glass always remains rooted in me.

Your company "bei Pauli - Glashandwerk und Design" is located in the "glass town" of Zwiesel in the Bavarian Forest. There are numerous glass manufacturing and glass finishing companies there. What makes the location special for you?

The glass town of Zwiesel in the Bavarian Forest gives me a lot as a location. The pristine nature, the people and the town with its centuries-old glass tradition have grown close to my heart. With the existing technical knowledge and the great support of the many glassmakers in the region, I have the opportunity to build on this heritage, realize my ideas and visions and contribute to the preservation of the old craft. My company is housed in the Gründerwerkstatt Glas Zwiesel. The workshop offers me a fully equipped business premises and a joint marketing presence, with joint support between the founders of the Gründerwerkstatt.

You also offer workshops for interested parties - why don't you tell us how that works?

With my workshop offers, it is a personal concern of mine to raise awareness of glass culture and to bring participants closer to the joy of their own handmade glass products. An example can illustrate this perfectly: In the "Design your own wall clocks" glass workshop, children have the opportunity to live out their creative streak while exploring the traditional craft of glass painting. In the form of clear demonstrations and a structured course structure, children are shown step by step how to design their own clock face and which important aspects of the craft need to be taken into account. Decorative and practical at the same time, a self-made wall clock gives stained glass a new and unusual image. The young artists can proudly take their clock home with them.

Which product has been the biggest challenge for you so far?

The completion of illuminated objects presents me with the greatest challenges. From the design to the finished product, there are numerous complex steps to consider. These include material science, working with lighting technicians and metalworkers and developing a sophisticated, cost-effective yet aesthetic design, combined with efficient time management. Product development and continuous improvement are crucial to success, even if it involves some trial and error. These rewarding challenges are particularly appealing to me. The result always encourages me on my path to independence.

You are a participant in OM7's "KREATIV Garage" start-up program. What motivated you to take part in this training program?

The OM7 start-up program offers me the opportunity to exchange ideas with other entrepreneurs and gain valuable knowledge. That's exactly what I need as a young entrepreneur in order to go my own way. The impulses and experiences from different industries that the other participants bring with them are extremely inspiring for the development of my company. The fresh and unbiased networking among like-minded people is very good and is the motivation that draws me from the Bavarian Forest to the start-up program in Nuremberg.

The one-year start-up program will accompany you over the next few months with workshops, seminars and networking meetings. What content do you think you will benefit from the most?

My company will benefit from content such as sales, marketing/communication and pitching/presenting at Pauli. These are particularly relevant in my unusual industry, as a high public presence is required to reach and convince the desired target group. It is about developing the right strategy to promote my business according to my ideas. The intensive engagement with these topics as part of the start-up program will allow me to take the time to develop this content thoroughly. The tools provided will help me to use them effectively in my everyday life as a self-employed person.

What are your future goals for your glassblowing business? What do you want for your art?

My goal is for the "bei Pauli" brand to be present in the form of practical and decorative household items that enhance the home and are a joy to use. In my vision, I have built up a small company in which my personal artistic development is expressed in successful everyday products such as light objects, butter dishes and pepper mills. This successful implementation in everyday life should also enable me to realize myself in larger works of art. For me, public art is more than just a business model; it is a philosophy that combines architecture and art, creates an inviting atmosphere and creates a unique sense of space that is accessible and can be experienced by everyone.

Learn more about Ramona