After graduating from college, I began working with glass as a distraction from the nagging question of, "what now?" I took several summer workshops and eventually enrolled at UW-River Falls to further explore hot glass and its possibilities. This was over ten years ago, and now I work full-time with hot glass in a studio that I built and own in St. Paul.
In my work, I like to use traditional decorative elements of glassblowing, including frit, glass cane and metal leaf, in unorthodox ways. I often use these elements on a piece's interior surface to create unusual textures or patterns. It is an approach to glassblowing that works against the grain of conventional glass decoration - most decorative elements are added to the surface or sandwiched between layers of glass. This creates a piece that is meant to be viewed from only one direction. By working on the interior surface, I create vessels that more fully engage the viewer. The result edges the piece away from its utilitarian and traditional foundation and toward a more sculptural and interesting work of art.
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