Thomas Spake

"My unique approach gives the work a tactile quality that offers the audience a treat for the eyes as well as the fingers. With the blown vessel's surface exposed, the soft glow of light is transmitted through the glass, revealing the true nature of the material. "

Thomas Spake uses opaque and translucent glass to explore texture and pattern. He is inspired by the subtle yet mysterious beauty of our natural world, and his simple forms and shapes are intended to act as a canvas for the glasscapes to inhabit.

Spake uses unconventional techniques along with the inherent chemistry of the metal oxides in the colored glass to create complex patterns that imitate natural objects or landscapes. After blowing the glass, he engraves the surface to reveal the interior colors, then sandblasts the piece to create a matte finish.

Thomas Spake began blowing glass in 1994 and graduated from Centre College in Danville, KY, with a BA in art. His work quickly developed a sculptural edge with a focus on interpreting the natural world, whether through the pattern on the surface or by recreating a natural object or creature.