Mark Sudduth

I am a 1983 Graduate of the Cleveland Institute of Art with a major in Glass with a minor in Drawing. I have been operating a private studio since 1983. My work consists of hand blown and sculptural glass. There is a quality in glass that is generated by the glass itself. Those qualities are elusive, intriguing and seductive. I make them as much a part of my work as possible. I work with thick glass because it exhibits some qualities which interest me—depth, transparency, reflection and refraction. Strong form is also of importance and is something that I strive for. My work is hand blown and hand formed. Each piece is designed and executed by me. No molds or mechanical means of shaping are used. I have built or rebuilt much of my equipment in order to achieve the unique finishes and markings I want on the glass.

This form of hand blowing is a layering process. Color is the first layer on the blowpipe. Additional layers of clear glass or crystal are gathered over top of each other. A brief time is spent cooling and shaping between layers in preparation for the next gather. Canted Forms are hand blown and hand formed. Once cooled, forms are cut with diamond saws, ground and hand polished. Surfaces are often articulated with stone wheels, diamond wheels, acid etched, or a variety of methods to ‘mark’ on the glass, bringing each piece to a finish and one of a kind, completed artwork. Anklets are hand blown and hand formed, cooled to room temperature and cut with diamond saws. Surfaces are either ground flat to a 400 grit finish or engraved with stone and diamond wheels to alter form and articulate surface pattern. Pieces are put into an oven, brought up to 1000 degrees F and picked out on a punty rod and worked for a second time in the furnace. This produces a polish on ground areas and allows for some manipulation of the final piece.