All of my sculptures are designed, crafted, fired and finished in my workshop located just outside of Charlotte, North Carolina.  

 

Each work in my Shards collection is uniquely free-formed with individually cut shards of glass that are carefully arranged and layered to create their organic shapes. Because each one is constructed piece by piece, it's essential to achieve just the right balance of space and weight in the layers in order for the sculpture to successfully withstand the firing process while forming to its intended shape and size.

 

For my Crystalline series, each sculpture is crafted entirely with small fragments and bits of glass that I crush into different sizes, then sift and layer in varied densities shaping and forming as I go. Many of these works feature open cavities where I've allocated space in the design for the glass to stretch and drip as it becomes molten while still holding to the planned formation. This technique is my most difficult to get right. Constructing the piece is a meticulous process because my intentionally imbalanced areas have to be perfectly balanced within the overall design; if not, the sculpture risks collapse during the firing process. 

 

Depending on complexity, it can take up to ten days to complete a single sculpture from concept, design, construction, firing cycles, and the finishing process. Each one is an individually crafted work of art; no two are ever exactly alike.

 

For all of my works, forecasting how the glass will pull, expand, and meld during the heating and cooling cycles is essential from the start. I'm working backwards through a creative process that requires both prediction and precision. Sometimes I get it right and sometimes I don't, but the risk of failure never outweighs my love for the challenge.