Thaw: Winter Turning to Spring


Reflecting the quiet tranquility of the return of sunlight, Thaw is a calming composition of movement and color in glass. My family and I celebrate the Winter Solstice every year, welcoming the sunshine back into our lives as a new year begins to unfold.

Thaw is an abstract meditation on the quality of light and the slow, quiet motions of snow and ice. Shards of white glass, pops of color, shimmering silver foil, and hand pulled black cane dance in thick clear glass.

I begin this piece by blowing an orb of opaque white glass. After the white glass cools, I smash it with a hammer and apply the shards to a new orb of molten glass on the blow pipe. I apply white glass powder, gold ruby frit, hand pulled black glass cane, and squares of Japanese silver foil to the composition by hand.

Thaw is finished in a custom cherrywood mold, creating its distinctive shape. After three days of cooling in the annealer, my coldworker Brett gives Thaw its distinctive convex lip by grinding and polishing the glass to a shine.

This unique composition reflects the small moments of beauty that are hidden within plain sight. Vermont winters can feel never-ending, but there are signs of life visible to those who know where to look. 

View Thaw and the complete Shard Series