Brian J. Becher — Columbus, OH | brianbecher.com
I use traditional techniques in a modernistic way. I layer strands of glass in multiple layers to create a woven effect in the glasswork. I strive to create a beauty and a sense of drama in all of my works. Rafi Ch Drawing or painting symbols, ornaments or images on serving wares is naturally the most ancient of the arts. At various periods and at different places, this tradition has been the vehicle of sophisticated artistry, thus transforming the humblest utilitarian vessels into objects of beauty. For the last 20 years I have used Verre Eglomise, or reverse painting on glass. This technique has been used in Ancient Rome, the Middle Ages and especially in Venice, during the Italian Renaissance.
Robert Dane — Heath, MA | robertdane.com
My hand blown glass is created in my studio in the northern Berkshires of western Massachusetts. My work is influenced by the Italian tradition of glassblowing, but has a distinctly American flavor. Vibrant colors and the spontaneous improvisation of these unique designs distinguish my work in a two thousand year tradition of glassblowing. My Tutti Frutti Goblets are all one of a kind, spontaneous expression of life's pleasures. As in any group, no two are alike. But when they are together, they enhance each others presence, creating a unique and beautiful experience. They are inspired by the Italian glassblowing tradition, and the diverse and vibrant world of color around us. My goblets are very functional. They are slightly heavier than the Venetian version, and they fit nicely in ones hand. They hold the wine or water well, and set a beautiful table. I celebrate the communion I share with the people who drink from my glasses.
John J. Geci — Bakersville, NC | jgeciglass.com
In my work I try to emphasis the natural movement of the glass. I create simple but unique forms that reveal how the glass behaves when I am working it in its liquid state. I use traditional Italian techniques as well as some more unorthodox tricks to create my work.
Wendy Gilvey — Philadelphia, PA
Hudson Beach Glass is made and designed by 5 glass artists — John Gilvey, Wendy Gilvey, Sean Gilvey, Michael Benzer and Jennifer Smith. For our cast glass we make 14 jeweltone colors in either a beach finish or jewel finish. All our cast pieces are from original handcarved designs which enable us to remake them again. Due to the nature of the material of the mold there are limited amounts of pieces that can be made therefore our glass designs are limited editions. Our handblown drinkware comes in a palette of 6 color choices
Jason Howard — Skaneateles, NY | rjasonhoward.com
My current work and series, "Soul Cages: An exploration of change, time, and process," is about inner life forces. The simple bubble is the genesis of all blown forms in glass, perhaps even the soul of glass. I prefer to work in blown forms because they capture a touch of life and a unique part of the artistic process; the human breath. In this series, I've tried to "let go," allowing the bubbles to expand as large as they can without too much control over their shape as they inflate in one breath. Later i group them in abstract ways as they remind me of something, setting them in locally found stones, often with the living moss still intact. By piercing the bubbles with a flame and leaving only their pure form, these captured bubbles are reduced to their absolute basic structure, pure essence, or inner life force. They are not stitched or woven, but rather blown, manipulated, and fumed with precious metals.
Melanie Leppla — Waitsfield, VT | madriverglassgallery.com
In this series of sculptural totems I am using rock forms to explore various compositions of balance.
Michael J. Mikula — Cleveland, OH | mikulaglass.com
Inspired by architectural form and detail, I use graphite molds (designed & made by me), to cast or press thematic imagery & structure into blown glass to make sculpture and related vessels. Each vessel and segment in sculpture is individually cast, blown, cut & polished. The natural smoothness of the blown interior surface contrasts w/ the deeply textured cast exterior, creating views into the thickness of the glass and a play on positive / negative form. The metal structures are custom fabricated to my specifications and under my supervision. I complete the final assembly of glass and metal.
Dan Mirer — Corning, NY | danmirer.com
I incorporate innovative and traditional glassmaking techniques to realize my designs. Many of the pieces require extensive processing. Each piece bears the signature bottle and goblet mark.
Nancy Nicholson — Brooklyn, NY | nancy-nicholson.com
I look for both beauty and humor within the urban landscape. Beginning with my photographs, I render the images into a working drawing on paper. I use traditional materials such as blown glass, lead came and copper foil, and apply techniques of sandblasting, vitreous paints and enamels to add details. Stained glass is often viewed narrowly, as a religious or decorative art form, or merely relegated to the realm of craft. I challenge these notions by using glass as a means to create work that communicates on multiple levels, encompassing formal, conceptual, and narrative elements.
J. David Norton — Akron, OH
Fused glass landscapes are composed of clear sheet glass and colored frit (crushed glass). I also include torch-formed elements called "stringers". They are all glass (no paint). They undergo multiple kiln firings and applications of frit, stringers, and sheet glass, adding depth and detail. I combine transparent and opaque glasses to depict the interplay of light and shadow. My intention is to create a three dimensional portal of light, inviting the viewer to enter a dramatic landscape.
Richard Parrish — Bozeman, MT | fusiostudio.com
As an artist & an architect, I find inspiration in both the human-made environment & in the vast landscape of the American west where I live. I am fascinated by the juxtaposition of the constructed & the natural, which I often express in my work. I find that it is critical to my existence to make things with my hands, using real materials. Inspired by repetitive rows in fields of grain & by woven fabrics, the Tapestries are composed of linear patterns of glass strands creating fiber-like textures. The wall mounted panels are subtly warped, alluding to cloth in a breeze, expressing softness in a hard material. The composition of these glass pieces explores the juncture between the organic & geometric.
Erica L. Rosenfeld — Brooklyn, NY | ericarosenfelddesigns.com
My work tells stories about the fabric of peoples lives and the rituals created to bring comfort to our lives. I am fascinated by the things (both spiritual and physical) that people cling to in order to find - and define - identity. How do we choose what we see? How does this affect what we remember? As families and communities, we create shared folklore to memorialize people, places and events. As individuals, we create personal mythologies to help us contextualize our past and imagine our future. Intertwining these themes, my work similarly enmeshes artistic disciplines in a memory-based, magical realism scaffolded by nostalgia. I use glass, found materials, beads and food to create sculpture and jewelry, which remain my primary mode of expression. I began beading at the age of five, from which I realized a consistent impulse to create cohesive, sometimes incongruous, mosaics from smaller components.
Mark Russell — Greeneville, TN | markrussellglass.com
Growing up and living in a small Appalachian town in East Tennessee, I am continuously aware and amazed at the materials and objects that inhabitant my everyday life. They capture my attention and I try to take advantage of this distraction to form a personal visual bond. My work will often incorporate these local and found materials in collaboration with a manipulation of glass. While this combination may seem arbitrary, I strive to make order of the materials relevant to a personal consciousness. Blown Glass and Mixed Media.
Michael Schunke — West Grove, PA | nineironstudios.com
The study and repetition of form is the foundation of my studio practice. A glassmaker for over twenty years, my process continues to emerge through a skilled and sensitive relationship to the material. I consciously merge traditional Venetian techniques with my personal and contemporary approach to form. These elements combine to present volume expanded within complex patterns and color interactions. The forms in my work present themselves from within.
Mark Sudduth — Cleveland, OH | sudduthglass.com
There is a quality in glass that is generated by the glass itself. Those qualities are elusive, intriguing and seductive. I make them as much a part of my work as possible. I work with thick glass because it exhibits qualities which interest me--depth, transparency, reflection and refraction. My attention to strong form is a very important factor in my work. This thought coupled with either unique line work, evident in the white glass bit drawings, the cold work to cut, polish, engrave, highlight surfaces using lathes, merkers, dynafiles and flexible shafts incorporating stone and diamond wheels and other various tools evident in the canted forms and anklets, gives my work a unique presence.
Robert D. Woldow — Seattle, WA | artscraftseattle.com
My work explores the contradiction between the common perception of glass smooth, shiny, glassy and the rough textural beauty revealed when its polished surface is stripped away. My process is "strip method" fusing. I fuse strips of glass, hand-cut by the hundreds, into patterns which are repeatedly cut into sections, rearranged, and fused into patterns of increasing complexity. After grinding and polishing by hand to a smooth finish, I remove the shiny glassy surface through a combination of sandblasting and acid-etching. The result is a honed matte surface which resembles ceramic more than glass. Using palettes of complementary and contrasting colors in both transparent and opaque glass, my goal is to create the textural aesthetic of translucent ceramic.
