My Arts Education

I have been blowing glass since 2019 at my home studio, the Bay Area Glass Institute (BAGI) in San Jose, CA. During the academic year, it’s the Department of Art and Art History at the University of Hawaii studying under glass artist Rick Mills. I have had the privilege of studying under several other accomplished artists, including Treg Silkwood, Helen Lee, Amy Lemaire, Cedric Mitchell, Aya Oki, Jesse Rasid, Pamela Sabroso and Alison Siegel, Austin Stern and Ethan Stern. I have attended courses at the Pilchuck Glass School, founded by Dale Chihuly, near Seattle, WA and the Corning Museum of Glass in Corning, NY.  

Glass is a very natural, free moving medium.  It always wants to go somewhere you don't want it to go.  I like using this to my advantage, making art with a natural feel and look to it. 

Glass is an art that requires more than one person.  I collaborate with the owner of Flaming Cups and together we assist each other in our work. When in the hot shop time is money., and refining my production skills has helped me with method and speed and time management. 

My passion in glass work is using and mixing colors. Pumpkins are one of my favorite ways to play with colors.  The example above has a base layer of opal white and a top layer of transparent orange with a layer of clear glass to finish it off.   When the pumpkin is done it captures light with little lenses.  Pictures cannot capture the pumpkin's true beauty.