Paul Runde

My work is my passion. It has consumed me, entirely, for over a decade. The possibilities when working with glass are limitless and every day in the studio is an exploration and a pursuit of what I can create with this dynamic and intense substance. I first experienced hot glass while working as a prototype machinist and model maker for an automotive supplier in the Detroit area. I have long enjoyed, and been successful working with my hands and it felt completely natural for me to work with such a challenging medium as molten glass. The pull of working with hot glass was so strong that six years ago I quit my day job, said goodbye to a steady paycheck and became a full-time glass artist. I spend my days sculpting, blowing, carving, casting, and sand-blasting glass. I work it hot, warm and cold to achieve the desired form and design. The scale of my work varies greatly from large-scale sculptures to hand-blown vessels that fit in the palm of my hand. Having experience with a variety of different mediums allows me to readily incorporate other materials, such as metalwork or hand-made rope to complement and complete some of my large-scale sculptures. My interest in archeology and artifacts is evident in sculptures where I re-interpret ancient “Offering Vessels” and “Guardian” type statues. As for my smaller hand-blown vessels, there is a satisfying intimacy in working with a semi-liquid substance that’s heated and re-heated up near 2000 degrees. My intention is to create vessels of strong form with a certain visual density but I’ve found that some of my most successful pieces resulted from allowing the glass to just respond to the heat and to gravity with minimal direction on my part. Molten glass definitely demands your full attention and success or failure can be immediate but so are the rewards and for me, going to work is going to play!