1987

I began to work in glass as an apprentice to Tom Philabaum in 1981.  My skills developed rapidly and by 1983 I was a partner in Philabaum/Carlson studios, Tucson Az., where I stayed until 1986.  It was in this studio that I had the opportunity to practice and develop my skills.  It was, however, my studies at the Pilchuck School that most influenced me as an artist working with glass.  My major influences were Flora Mace, Joey Kirkpatrick, Bertil and Ulrica Vallien, Erwin Eisch and Libensky/Brychtova.
In the summer of 1983 my work with Bertil opened my eyes to the possibilities of blowing into sand molds to create varied sculptural forms.  I then began to experiment with painting directly on the glass with unfired enamels (an idea I developed from remembering my days as a boy and painting hundreds of plastic models) and found the technical limitations of glass giving way to a freedom for self-expression.  I was able to tie the “inner” world of subjective experience to the “outer” world of physical reality.  A key influence for this union was my discovery of the art of the Pacific Northwest Indians.

I began blowing glass into sand molds designed specifically for my work and with these am able to create one of a kind 3-dimensional architectural forms (as well as many others).  These forms then serve as the foundation upon which I apply my enamel paintings.  The painting style is influenced by a number of the great manuscript and religious traditions and also by the work of Dr. Carl Jung, his followers and especially the scholarship of Joseph Campbell.  The color work is vibrant and the imagery is both symbolic and intricate.  I use reverse painting techniques extensively in my work, which allow different images to be viewed from inside and outside the pieces.  I also combine the use of solid, cast and blown elements to create both figurative and totemic forms.