I was first drawn to glass because of its inherent interplay with light and transparency, a liquid masquerading as a solid. Glass has its own personality: it is fragile in its material composition, yet incredibly strong-willed in its behavior. Playing with this dual nature, I like to see how far I can manipulate the medium while acquiescing to its stubborn side. 

With a life long love of glass art Eric began experimenting with the mediumin 2005. His exploration has included globes, drinking vessels, flameworking/lampworking and sculpture. This site is a place to view his current body of work.

I work with stone, ink, glass, paper, and more from my Revere Street studio in San Francisco.

I welcome exhibit enquiries, and studio visitors by appointment.

Kellyʼs work draws on the inspirations of her early childhood memories and the organic forms and colors found in nature. Combining other disciplines such as sculptural elements within the glass and hand paint; her work reflects her belief in simplistic forms and asymmetry, varying in color intensity from landscape palettes to the boldness of graffiti art. As a self taught artist she has studied techniques in such mediums as painting, ceramic sculpture, metal smithing, woodworking, photography and motorcycle maintenance which she combines with to create the unique pieces.

“The ground we walk on, the plants and creatures, the clouds above constantly dissolving into new formations — each gift of nature possessing its own radiant energy, bound together by cosmic harmony.” — Ruth Bernhard.

As a photographer of urban and rural landscapes, I’m elated when there are clouds giving texture to the sky. The elusive, ethereal, and elemental beauty of clouds has always enthralled me.

I tend to see patterns of color, shapes and shadows in both natural and man-made environments, capturing the beauty created when these two environments combine. I’m now working in my studio with kiln-formed glass— transforming these images into layered glass "paintings". Working with different types and sizes of glass (opaque, translucent and clear sheet glass, powders and frit) lets me manipulate the light, depth and texture in each image.

GLASS
 I often work with glass, which is a particularly magical medium. Being translucent yet solid, as an invisible boundary, it simultaneously is and isn’t. This reflects well my intention to make manifest subtle philosophical concepts. The kiln work in the studio is itself alchemical and the effect intended for the viewer is none the less so. My work serves as a portal to that which we recognize as absolute. This transportation can be as simple as losing oneself in an intricate colorful flower pattern; or as complex as visually entering a mysterious architectural structure where a non-linear stage setting appears to be casting a spell.
DIGITAL WORK
My current drawing and painting involves recording what is, especially when I am drawing strangers in public. I am not overlaying my message on the subject but the message or mood emerges of it’s own. See more at betweenstops.wordpress.com where I accompany the image with fictional text as a comment on our society and our personal lives in it.
9x9s
Viewing the 9 x9 series reads more like a painting on a wall. Make a statement like “Yield” or another traffic instruction (navigating through life) but in in a primary and basic way. Modern Heiroglyphics made from coloured glass in molds fired and cut and refired until the thickness and stability of the glass feels more like stone than crystal. The surfaces have the warm friendliness of a worn building who has seen time pass. Friendly and wise.

My art is a poetic exploration of my ideas…an extension of my inner self, allowing me to express myself in ways I can’t easily articulate.  I went through a drastic change in what I thought was my path, before finding glass.  I seek to express that need to be true to self, through my work.

My signature is a technique I developed for weaving glass, which allows me to create large scale sculptures by melting glass in the flame at a table top torch.   I built upon this idea, and have personally developed many of the techniques used to create my intricate, lampworked glass sculptures. This process of weaving, and making components, can take up to 3-4 months, for a large scale piece.  I often combine flameworked glass with pate de verre, in a casting process I learned from the Higuchis.  By working with colored glass powders and frits, I use a painstaking process of layering color, to create a cast leaf or nest.   I have since pioneered an approach for casting and attaching pate de verre components to my lampworked glass sculpture.  I also create much of the subtle color in my work through a process of blending and mixing color, and pulling cane… much like a painter would on a palette. In fact, I view the flameworking and pate de verre process as being very similar to painting. My unique use of color and careful, yet gestural sculptures are a symphonic exploration that continues to lead me in new directions.  It is this exploration, and the freedom therein, that drives my desire to create. 

Technique merges with narratives in my work, to express metaphorical bridges between nature and human beings.  Through the delicate, glass nests, flowers, branches, and leaves in each piece, I seek to depict the cycle of life:  growth, discovery, change, and renewal.  Inspired by the storytelling tradition of woven tapestry and basketry, I see myself weaving with glass to connect the viewer to the story of the natural world.  I bring glass to life, using its fluidity and fragility to express the beauty, vulnerability, peacefulness and decay found in nature's story.  In pieces like "Choice", "Renewal", and "Becoming", I consider the tension between inner strength versus timing and circumstance, and their impact on choice and personal growth.  My eggs, buds, and flowers are key elements that evoke this notion of rebirth, becoming, and transformation of self.