About Visionary Glass Arts

About the Glass

     I create hand blown, lampwork, borosilicate/pyrex glass. Each piece is individually hand blown using a torch, my breath, and gravity. The torch burns in excess of 2500 degrees Fahrenheit, with a gas mixture of propane and oxygen. When the glass is molten I shape it with my breath, gravity, and other rods of clear glass. I actually draw with colored glass rods layering and melting them into the clear glass until I get the design and color I am trying to create.

     All glass color is made from metals and minerals from the earth. There are no paints, dyes, or glazes. Every color reacts differently to the slightest variance in temperature, so working with color is a delicate process. Upon completion the piece is placed into a kiln to anneal at 1050 degrees overnight, furthering the strength and durability of the glass. The glass I use Borosilicate glass is the same glass formula as Pyrex glass, so it is a very strong material and made to last. 

     Growing up on the plains of Colorado, Kyle learned about hard work and the dedication needed to be an artist.  In 2001 he moved to Fort Collins, Colorado where he started working with some local glass blowers. He immediately became enamored with the beauty and complexity of glass.

     Through the years, he has taken a workshop here and there, but besides that he is completely self-taught.
Relocating to the Appalachian Mountains in late 2007, Kyle has been inspired by Asheville’s unique, artistic community.  As he continues to deepen his understanding of the complexity of glass, he has begun to explore the relationship glass can have with other materials. 

     Kyle sells his work in over 10 different galleries, as well as on Etsy. He also participates in 12 different regional arts & craft shows a year. The business has now become family run with the help of his wife. They live in Asheville, North Carolina, with their two young children, lively dog, and four chickens.
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     “Art is a necessity in every person’s life; it takes us away from the mundane and into the world of infinite possibility. If nothing else the goal is to get the observer to pause, even for the briefest moment, it is in that moment the magic happens and the person can choose to see the potential inside them self and in us all.”