ARTIST

"I am an action-oriented person that thrives on nature and bright colors. I like to live my life on the edge and usually take everything I do to the limit. I need resolution, challenge, and like working with other people. For me, the perfect combination of what I like most about life is found in working with molten glass.

"I would characterize all the work I do as 'organic' and 'colorful'. Whether it be the fluid form of my vases, the life-like quality of my trout, or the leopard fur color of my leopard series, they can all be found in the out-of-doors where I feel very connected.

"For my vases and weather vanes, I like to use pure color, unadulterated by any surface treatment, and accented by smaller quantities of other pure colors, which serve to enhance its richness. All the bright color combinations I use might not be as readily found in nature, but since I wish they were, they become my personal experience.

"For my trout and leopard series, my goal is to use color in a realistic manner, so before the work is fully formed, I sift powdered glass onto the hot blown bubble, melting it into the surface, then roll the hot bubble melting it onto the surface, then roll the bubble in frit for the spots. The "leopard fur" look on my leopard people is just the beginning of my fun, for with these pieces, I also get to create individual characters that are unique unto them selves each with its own comment about the world.

"In trying to control this molten material on the end of a five foot pipe, I'm usually doing at least five things at the same time: constantly turning the pipe so that gravity won't pull the glass too far off center; using centrifugal force by turning the pipe fast or slow; noticing when the glass is too cold and needs a flash in the glory hole or when it's had enough re-heating and it should come out of the glory hole; communicating with my assistants about what I need and when; and tooling bits or additions of molten glass onto the main body; all the while forever remembering what step comes next.

"Everything with blown glass happens very quickly, takes my full concentration from beginning to end, and requires spontaneity and decisive resolution. When the piece is finished, it either goes into the annealer of the garbage, and it's time for a drink of water and a thought about how I could make the next one better."