Luis Antonio Bodas Costales, born in Madrid in 1969, a glassmaker by profession, began his activity in 1982.
Son of Antonio Bodas Navas, renowned master glassmaker with good references at the Royal Glass Factory of La Granja de San Ildefonso (Segovia) and disciple of Rafael Cortés Heredia ("El Gitano", within the glass guild) national champion of blown glass in 1973, after a contest held at the Hermanos Alsina Factory in Valencia.
When he was eight years old, his father took him to the Vidrilux, SCV factory in Madrid, where he believes that from then on he felt enthusiastic about the magic of glass when he helped his father make colored marbles.
In the year 1981, after the global oil crisis, the factories in Madrid closed their doors and his family was forced to move to Valencia, specifically to the town of L'Olleria, where his father was quickly recognized for his glass work due to to its prestige in companies in Madrid such as VIDRILUX or CRIFISA, among others.
In the year 1982, and still going to school, when he finished school, he helped remove and clean refractory bricks from an old wicker baking factory and with which the first oven of the VIART, SL company was built, of which his father He was a founding partner.
It is in this company where he really begins to feel fascinated by the world of glass and in a short time he begins to lift glass and make small handcrafted pieces.
During the period he worked at the Fabril-glass company in L'Olleria (February 1983-February 1988), Rafael and his father Antonio gave free rein to their imagination and for five years, he learned the secrets of glass and its techniques.
It is in this period when he participates in the 1st Glass Exhibition that is held in L'Olleria showing different pieces.
In February 1988 he is called by the company LA MEDITERRANEA, to carry out work and manual pieces. In this period he is already responsible for training several kids who are beginning to stand out in the trade.
In August 1988 he completed compulsory military service and on his return in August 1989, he provided his services in the newly created company VIDRIOS SAN MIGUEL, SCV located in Ayelo de Malferit (Valencia).
In May 1999 he is called by the company FABRIL-GLASS, SL in L'Olleria to carry out certain specialized jobs together with his former teacher Rafael.
After a year in this company, in May 1991, his father called him from the LA MEDITERRANEA company, which was building a special oven to create a new craft production line.
For six months he does not stop creating and creating pieces and new designs until finally a new line is achieved, a defined line: ART-COLLECTION.
During this period he worked with designers and other master glassmakers such as Pére Ignasi from Mallorca.
In November 1992 and for personal reasons, he worked again at VIDRIOS SAN MIGUEL, until in September 1994 he was called to the Escuela de Vidrio HAND-GLASS,SAL, located in the town of Villena (Alicante), in which he works the position of Head of Production, responsible for the realization of the new catalog of said company.
It is in this company where he makes part of the glass reproduction of the gold pieces of the treasure found in Villena, exhibited in the Archaeological Museum of said city.
In December of this same year, he held a collective exhibition with his students at the Casa de Cultura in this city.
In May 1995, he established himself in Benidorm (Alicante), with his own workshop and dedicated himself solely and exclusively to making commissioned pieces, mainly from German and French antique dealers.
In March 1997, following the desire and desire to learn and acquire new glass working techniques and systems, his concern led him to move to the town of Marinha Grande in Portugal.
There he began his activity in the company MARIVIDROS, LTD., making all kinds of manual parts and adapting both manual and semi-automatic work systems in a material as noble as 30% Pb Crystal.
It is there where this company promotes him professionally, demonstrating his work before the very Minister of Culture of Portugal.
During this period, he collaborated with his team on the glass replica of “La Botella de Seis Vinhos”, which was given to Pope John Paul II during his visit to Portugal.
During this stay in Portugal, he goes wherever he is called for various occasional collaborations in factories and small workshops in the area.
Some of these workshops and factories are:
CANIVIDROS LTD., IVIMA SC, SANTOS BARBOSA SC, Fca. STHEFFENS SCHOOL, CRISAL, RECI-VETRO, ROQUIVIDROS, FABRIQURI, JASMIN, DAMASO, COMERCIO Y EXPORTAÇAO LTD., etc.
After this stage, he returned to Spain and joined the ESVETRO SAL company in September 1999, in the town of Montaverner (Valencia), making various craft samples for the household and lighting sector.
In September 2000, a Glass School is created in the municipality of Carcaixent (Valencia) and he is claimed as a teacher for said school; since he rejects due to economic disagreements and professional convictions.
In September 2001 he collaborated with the company CRISTALERIAS VIDAL-GRAU SL, (L'Olleria) whose manager, Francisco Grau, was the president of AFYMAV and with which he developed the project for the realization of the future Glass Museum of L'Olleria, traveling through Spain with the intention of promoting said project, even establishing relations with La Real Fca. of Cristales de la Granja in Segovia.
In March 2002, he founded the company VIDRIOS BODA-COSTA SL, in the town of L'Olleria, dedicated to the commercialization of fancy glass and crystal articles, produced by his former master Rafael Cortés.
Upon his death, he was forced to travel himself, again, to the neighboring country to follow the same line of production of pieces due to the impossibility of finding the professionals and adequate conditions to carry them out.
Some of the pieces are made in the company CANIVIDROS LTD. (Marinha Grande), and others in DAMASO (Vieria de Leiria).
Due to serious family and personal problems, his company did not come to fruition and, together with the fact that a certain decline was beginning to be noticed in the glass sector, he abandoned his project and in September 2002 collaborated with the company VITREX ALFARRASI SL (Valencia), which acquires a 500-kg oven that he starts up for a Farm-School project and after a few months, due to production costs, they are forced to close.
In May 2003, he looked for work again at the ECO-GLASS company (former FABRIL-GLASS), in L'Olleria, where he was admitted and set up a place dedicated to a new catalog of handicraft pieces, but due to the material used (recycled glass of very poor quality) since the sector of manual pieces is very in decline, it does not bear the expected results.
From November 2003 to January 2004 and taking advantage of the last batches, he makes pieces on his own in the company ESVETRO SAL, which is about to close its doors.
In February 2004 and after the closure of ESVETRO SAL, he sought the continuity of his production in the company FROSTED SL, (Montaverner), in which he came to hold the position of Responsible for Design and Production of Samples.
This company is absorbed by ULENE-GROUP SL, and in August 2004 it closes its doors due to bankruptcy.
It is at this time that he founded the so-called "CASA DEL VIDRE" located in the old town of L'Olleria and with the help of some friends and lovers of the craft he tried to recover the old history and glass-making tradition of the municipality.
He punctually manages to turn on a small oven for demonstrations, which attracts the recognition of many people in the town, but not the City Council of L'Olleria itself, since it collides head-on with the project of the future L'OLLERIA GLASS MUSEUM (currently paralyzed) .
Contradictorily, it receives guided tours through the Department of Culture of L'Olleria, and even a photographic album of great cultural value is made, which is exhibited in said Department as a tribute to the Glass Trade in L'Olleria.
After the union of the efforts of some glassmakers, VITREX ALFARRASI SL is launched again, with new work systems collaborating with said company on the condition of being able to create its own pieces for "LA CASA DEL VIDRE".
Given the evidence of its short life and taking advantage of the platform established with LA CASA DEL VIDRE as a point of support and reference, this is where the adventure of bringing the trade closer to the street, to ordinary people, (including oven), begins. participating in numerous events and craft fairs throughout Spain; Some of these are:
Elche Craft Fair (Alicante/September 2004)
1st Finestrat Old Trades Fair (Alicante/October 2004)
Xátiva Craft Fair (Valencia/December 2004)
Xátiva Archaeological Museum (Valencia/January 2005; primary school students)
Aigues de Bussot Craft Fair (Alicante/February 2005)
Castells de Castells Craft Fair (Alicante/April 2005)
Beniarrés Craft Fair (Valencia/July 2005)
Navalcalnero Craft Fair (Madrid/September 2005)
Los Molares Craft Fair (Seville/September 2005)
2nd Finestrat Old Trades Fair (October 2006)
Ibi Craft Fair (Alicante/March 2006)
Craft Fair of Alhama de Murcia (Murcia/September 2006)
Caravaca de la Cruz Craft Fair (Murcia/September 2006)
3rd Finestrat Old Trades Fair (Alicante/October 2006)
Blown glass demonstration at the VI Science Week at the Alcorcón Glass Art Museum (MAVA) (Madrid/November 2006)
1st Prize for the best demonstration of Trades in the XXV anniversary of the Castilla-La Mancha Craft Fair (FARCAMA) and awarded by the Hon. Mr. José María Barreda (President of the Junta de Castilla-La Mancha) and Mr. Rafael Cabanillas (Drtor.Gral.. de Artesanía) held in Toledo in November 2005
Collaboration with the Santa Lucia Glassmakers Association (Cartagena/November 2005)
Course given at the PROMETEO Association for Disabled People in Torre-Pacheco (Murcia/November 2005).
Different appearances and mentions in the media:
TVE 1: documentary program “Oficios para el Recuerdo” (National)
Channel 9: (Valencian Community)
Punt 2: (Valencian Community)
TV CM: (Castile-La Mancha)
Newspaper "The country" (National)
Newspaper "The Provinces" (National)
Cover in the "Day of Toledo"
Newspaper "Global Castilla-La Mancha"
Tourist magazine "La Gaviota" (Mediterranean Coast)
Newspaper “El Mundo” (Madrid Edition)
Cadena SER (Madrid/November 2006)
In October 2005 and until October 2006, he worked on the construction of an artisan workshop for the company Cristalerías Miguel Inglés SL in Torre-Pacheco (Murcia).
In March 2007 and until August of the same year he collaborated with the company VIBESAL SAL located in Beniganim (Valencia).
At the end of this, he is admitted to the company VIDRIOS SAN MIGUEL SCV, in Ayelo de Malferit (Valencia) for a period of six months and in which he makes improvements in the production of certain parts in the standard manufacturing process.
From then until now, he has collaborated with artists and artisans from glass centers such as “El Poble Espanyol” (Barcelona); “Museum of Vimbodi” (Girona); "The Farm of San Ildefonso" (Segovia); glaziers from Seattle (USA); Island of Murano (Italy); Busot (France) ,Belgium, Romania, Bulgaria, etc.
The techniques used for the manufacture of its pieces cover practically all those known since ancient times, adapting them to the new current production systems and vice versa, with which it always achieves innovation and design ahead of many others.
It currently collaborates with Blown Glass workshops in the making of pieces and advice for both professional glassmakers and people who want to introduce themselves to Blown Glass.
LATEST OUTSTANDING WORKS
Elaboration of the promotional bottle for the campaign of the new CHANEL perfume. (2015);
Demonstration at the Santa Lucía Glass Museum in Cartagena (2015);
Elaboration of the collection bottles for one of the scenes of the movie "The Promisse" (2015);
Demonstration at the Santa Lucía Glass Museum in Cartagena (2016);
Blown glass course taught for the "El Progreso" School of Glass in Honduras (2016);
Collaboration with the University of Camaguey (Cuba) for initiation to blown glass;
Special glass formulations on demand for new projects;
Advice on the construction of furnaces and blown glass works in different companies;