William morris glass blower biography of william
William Morris’s passion for glassblowing was first ignited in 1977, at age 20, when he was driving a truck for the Pilchuck Glass School. By the early 1980s, Pilchuck co-founder Dale Chihuly had appointed him as gaffer (lead glassblower) in his studio.
A revolutionary technician, William Morris’ endows his surfaces with interesting naturalistic textures achieved through various methods such as sprinkling powdered glass and minerals on the surface, etching, and acid washing. Strongly influenced by archeology and mythology, Morris explores the inalienable relationship between man and nature, and how different cultures have used symbols and rituals to express this bond. Morris evokes ancient models such as the Lascaux cave paintings, tools of the Ice Age, Egyptian funerary jars, or ceramic creatures unearthed from the 3,000 year-old Amlash graves of Iran. Though inspired by ancient civilizations for which the relationship between man and nature was more visceral, he nonetheless expresses his own thoroughly modern and personal experience of the earth. He has said that “all I do is create objects from ordinary life. The real myth is that nature subjects itself upon us every day, whether we know it or not.”
A world-traveling adventure-seeker, William Morris is also a highly decorated artist whose work is in over sixty public and private collections including: the Metropolitan Museum of Art (NY); theMuseum of Arts & Design (NY); the Victoria and Albert Museum (London); and the Musée des Arts Décoratifs (Paris). His awards include: the Master of the Medium Award from the James Renwick Alliance (Washington, DC; 2005); the Artists as Hero Award (National Liberty Museum, Philadelphia; 2002); and the Visionaries Award (American Craft Museum, NY; 2001); among others. He is the subject of a documentary film entitled Creative Nature (2008). Morris retired from American glass and bronze artist William Morris, considered one of the world's foremost glass artists, uses the fragile medium of glass and now the strong medium of bronze to recreate life-size black ravens and exquisite deer heads that reflect themes of myth, archaeology and the animal. Morris' limited edition bronze sculptures are created from molds taken from blown glass originals that are documented in the William Morris Studio Archives. Master glass artist William Morris has the uncanny ability to manipulate blown glass into something it really isn't by creating the optical equivalence of bone, wood, stone and leather. Morris pushes the limit of glass blowing with his mesmerizing sculptures of spirited forms using extraordinary technical skills that seem beyond the physical and chemical possibilities of glass. Born in 1957 in Carmel, California, William Morris is also considered to be one of the most gifted and daring young glass artists in America today. Morris's artwork can be found in numerous public collections, including: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY; Corning Museum of Glass, Corning, NY; The Chrysler Museum, Norfolk, VA; The Smithsonian National Museum, Washington, DC; The Norton Museum, Boca Raton, FL; American Glass Museum, Millville, NJ; Hokkaido Museum of Modern Art, Hokkaido, Japan; Musee Des Arts Decoratifs, Paris, France; Auckland Museum, Auckland, New Zealand and The Victoria and Albert Museum, London, England. Morris has traveled worldwide, working with the masters of Italian glass and others, including American Glass Artist Dale Chihuly. He has also shared his extraordinary skills in workshops and demonstrations throughout the globe. Morris currently resides in Washington State near the renowned Pilchuck Glass School where, during the past twenty five years, he has been a stude 1. He says that the only time he felt secure when he was making art. 2. Sure, he had questions about whether he was making the right choices, and he had financial ups and downs, but art made all doubts disappear. 3. He started doing ceramics when he was in high school, and he slowly surrounded himself with artistic mentors. 4. He couldn't afford to go to art school, so he took a job driving a truck at an art school and lived nearby. 5. While there, he met famous glass artist Dale Chihuly and he offered to help him out with his work. 6. Ended up working with Chihuly for ten years without ever taking a cent of pay, but that apprenticeship shaped his career. 7. He's now one of the most famous glass artists in the world, with works featured in the Louvre and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. 8. Says you'll never be sure that you chose the right path, but that's unimportant; all that matters is that you have faith in your decision. American glass artist, born 1957 William Morris (born 1957) is an American glass artist. After retiring in 2007 at the age of 49, he resides in both Washington and Hawaii. William Morris was born on July 25, 1957 in Carmel, California, United States. Morris grew up in Carmel, California. He was educated at California State University, Chico, California, and Central Washington University, Ellensburg, Washington. William Morris was first introduced to glass at Pilchuck Glass School, Stanwood, Washington, where he was employed as a bus driver. Early in his career (late 1970s to early 1980s) he was head gaffer for Dale Chihuly. He began making his own work in the 1980s. He relied on the same core team of assistants throughout his career; Karen Willenbrink-Johnsen, Jon Ormbrek, and Randy Walker. Some of the other artists who have worked with his team throughout the years include Blaise Campbell, Ross Richmond, and Trumaine Mason. With the help of Pino Signoretto, an Italian glass maestro from Murano, Morris developed new techniques that used oxy/propane torches to spot heat specific sections of a piece allowing for the high level of detail that his work is known for. Morris and his team maintained the William Morris Studio, WA, throughout its duration. Morris' work is an attempt to add to the archeological record of humankind. Instead of focusing on glass's natural beauty, he uses the medium's ability to transform into wood, bone, fiber, and sinew. He is inspired by ancient civilizations, such as Egyptian, Asian, Native American and Latin American. He also draws inspiration from the wilderness and the relationship between man and animal. Morris achieved much success during his career and retired in 2007. Later in life while working as a glass artist, he resided in Washington. During breaks f
The Art of William Morris:
Sculptures in Glass & Bronze William Morris
William Morris (glass artist)
Early life and education
Career
Personal life