William Morris (glass artist)

'Suspended Artifact', glass and iron work by William Morris, 1993, Metropolitan Museum of Art

William Morris (born July 25, 1957 in Carmel, California, United States) is an American glass artist. He was educated at California State University, Chico, California and Central Washington University, Ellensburg, Washington.

Career

William Morris began his glass career as a truck driver for Pilchuck Glass School, Stanwood, Washington, where he was first introduced to the material. He then learned the art of glass making and eventually became an instructor at Pilchuck Glass School. Early in his career (late 1970s to early 1980s) he was head gaffer for Dale Chihuly. By the mid 1980s, he bagan making work on his own. He has developed his work in collaboration with artists like Ross Richmond, Karen Willenbrink-Johnsen, Jon Ormbrek, Rik Allen, Randy Walker and Trumaine Mason. Morris and his team maintained the William Morris Studio, WA, throughout its duration. Morris also spent time in the late 1980s in Italy learning from Venetian masters.

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. He is currently represented at Abmeyer + Wood Fine Art in Seattle, WA.

Life

William Morris grew up in Carmel, California, United States. Later in life while working as a glass artist, he resided in Washington. During breaks from glass making, he spent time in Idaho's Bitterroot Mountains and Pioneer Mountains and Oregon's Wallowa Mountains and Elkhorn Mountains. After retiring at the age of 49, he now resides in Washington and Hawaii.

Awards

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 9/17/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.