"Desert Series Fan Vase"

Steven Main

"The immediacy and fluidity inherent in the glassblowing process has always fascinated me."

Steven Main's work in glass reflects his interest in the patterns found in nature. He begins each piece by laying out hand-pulled cane (small glass rods) in a mosaic-like pattern. These are placed onto a sheet of steel, which is heated so that the cane design can be brought closer to the temperature of the glass on the blowpipe. Main then rolls the blowpipe across the hot steel, picking up the design onto a core of colored glass. After several layers of clear glass are gathered from the furnace, he blows out and forms the piece into its final shape.

Steven Main first studied with Henry Halem at Kent State University in the 1970's. That glassblowing foundation, together with over 30 years of experimentation and innovation in the studio, has led to his award-winning body of work.