Glass has been an integral part of my life for more than 25 years. In addition to glassblowing, I have also enjoyed exploring a variety of other media and materials, including music, ceramics, drawing, painting, and woodturning/wood burning. I first encountered glassblowing in 1991, as an “elective” in his senior year at SCSU, in New Haven, CT, while earning a B.S. in Liberal Studies, with a concentration in Special Education. After two years of working in Maryland as a residential direct-care worker for individuals with Developmental Disabilities, I returned home to Vermont to begin my ‘life path’ as a glassblower.

In 1993, I became an apprentice with Simon Pearce, Inc., a prestigious glass facility in Windsor & Quechee, VT, known for its high-quality production of functional crystal. Eventually, I became a journeyman glassblower and team leader there, and my team’s particular concentration was in stemware and handled pieces (pitchers, tankards, Irish coffee mugs, etc.) as well as various bowls and vases.

In 1997, my fiancé and I moved to Chico, California, where she pursued her B.S./Masters degrees in Speech Pathology. At the time, I was employed as a glassblower at Orient & Flume Art Glass, an internationally-renowned glass studio, known for iridescent vases, intricate paperweights, and torch-work designs. For the next seven years, I watched and learned from some of the “masters of the trade,” experimenting with new colors and techniques, developing and refining my skills, and specializing in iridescent and torch-work design. I sold many solo and collaboratively-designed pieces on the Orient & Flume production line and had my own successful retail section in the Orient & Flume showroom.

In 2004, after our respective educations, wonderful adventures, and life experiences, we returned home to New England to raise our daughter in the same close-knit community setting we grew up in, closer to both of our families. For the next year, I worked to set up my glass studio. In August 2005, Sherwin Art Glass was officially recognized by the State of Vermont as a business, complete with a scenic location overlooking the Connecticut River. The entire studio runs on locally produced hydropower from the dam in Bellows Falls, VT.

I live about a mile from the studio with my wife, Cheryl, a Speech & Language Pathologist for the Windham Northeast Supervisory Union. Our daughter is currently in college back in C.A., also studying Speech & Language Pathology. When not blowing glass, I enjoy many outdoor sports and activities (especially disc golf, hiking, and fishing), playing guitar, and singing with “3rd Rail”—a local classic rock cover band, brewing beer, and spending quality time with family and friends. Additionally, my wife and I have a weekly radio show (“the C’s Side” –Mondays, 7-8 pm) on a local public radio station: WOOL 91.5 FM and online at www.blacksheepradio.org; we also serve on various boards of local organizations within our community.  

I continue to specialize in the unique art of torchwork in/on hand-sculpted and blown glass, striving to capture the beauty I see in Nature, especially here in New England.

~ Create Happiness ~