Glass is Beautiful and Natural

I love handmade glass. Even for everyday eating or drinking, I prefer something handmade.

Sand dunes in Egypt

Something about glass feels natural and right and, in some ways, historical and ancient. Glass comes from silica - sand - and is a strange substance, defying easy scientific categorization. It is not a solid, not a gas, and not quite a liquid either.

Pier One Glasses

I bought some glasses at Pier One - just cheap drinking glasses, although I could tell they were well made when I bought them. What I figured out after I got them home is that they were handmade, not machine made. They have the circle on the bottom where they broke from the firing rod. Like any handmade object, I believe that some of the maker is transferred to the object. There is a sense of the original silica or sand and of the original maker of the glass. I am very happy to own these glasses, and thankful to the person in Mexico that made them for me.

Great Glass is made by many artists. Dale Chihuly is probably one of the best known artists in glass. Although he no longer does his own work in the hotshop, his studio turns out his creative vision and creates unbelievable designs.

This chandelier masterpiece is installed at the UWGB Weidner Center. It is the only Chihuly I have seen in person.

Weidner Center, Green Bay, WI

PBS had a show about Chihuly's studio and work, called Chihuly in the Hotshop. I was mesmerized. Their talent and creativity is something I wish I possessed.

One more Chihuly - this one is called a Macchia. To me, it looks like a beautiful seashell. Such talent!