Chris McCarthy

I began blowing glass in 1997 at the City Museum in St. Louis, MO. Having taken a beginners class in college in the late 80Š—Ès, I decided to take an opportunity to do demonstrations for the museum visitors once a week when the main glass blower wasnŠ—Èt working. Six years and hundreds of demoŠ—Ès later, I made up my mind to go full time and opened my own studio in 2004 (Park Avenue Glass). My work is constantly evolving, ranging from bright primary colors in simple Venetian designs, to working with Š—“caneŠ— and using the Š—“incalmoŠ— technique, to heavily faceted work that focuses on the way the light diffuses as it passes through the piece. No two pieces are identical, as each start as a gather of molten glass on the end of a steel blowpipe. Each piece is blown and shaped using hand tools that have changed very little since the 14th century. It is through this long tradition of glass blowing that I gain my inspiration and pay homage to all those that have come before me.