ARTIST STATEMENT

I am a pyro’ with a passion for process. In 1986, I began blowing glass while studying ceramics at Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville (B.F.A., studio art 1990). In 1997, I founded and built Snake Ranch Studio. Located ~ 40 miles west of St. Louis, Missouri, near the town of New Melle, Snake Ranch is a full time glass studio.

My approach to producing work is self-seeking. I would rather make it than write about it... and if I were you... I’d rather use it than read about it! There is no underlying message or moral to ponder. My work is about the work. It’s about the process. It’s about the work in progress. I strive to produce original, high quality, classic inspired modern objects that are finely crafted, obviously handmade, and uniquely mine.

Techniques include cane and murrini work, incalmo joints, and switched axis transfers. Hand-cut sand-carved surfaces, saturated color overlays, and clean lines comprise the visual element.

Each piece is made one at a time, using traditional glassblowing tools. I am the designer and the maker from start to finish. Working from a 2000+ degree furnace containing clear molten glass, colored glass is applied to each individual piece, enabling me to work from a virtually endless color pallet. I use only the finest base and colored glass available, in the attempt to produce some of the finest glassware ever.

The rest is about trial and error, patience, persistence, etc., etc., blah, blah, and blah. Each piece leads to the next, one piece at a time.