R. McColley
Vancouver,
WA
Artist's Profile
I am a self-taught glass artist. As a teenager I loved putting bottles into the campfire and poking them with a stick. Since 2004, I began trying my hand at glass; first by fusing. It was not long before I was drawn to lamp work because it was working in hot glass in miniature. I discovered Dale Chihuly's glass art and began my journey to learn how to blow glass. I read, watched videos, and got some tips from some professional blowers. Finally in 2008, I built a hot shop and began blowing glass. Today I use everyday things to inspire me. I determine what I want to create and then figure out which of the glass disciplines will allow me to produce the best piece. I have been fortunate in my process to do things I never imagined. I was asked to do a commission piece for a 'thank you' gift for Former First Lady Laura Bush. That piece now resides in her office in Dallas. I recently completed my first chandelier-designed in the current Steam Punk style. One of the few pieces I have kept, it now hangs in my home.