Bob Heath

I love working with glass because of the way it interacts with light. Opaque glasses have the ability to reflect light and create patterns while transparent glasses transform the light to create colorful cast images and artwork with depth of overlapping layers of color.

My primary technique is fused glass, but that covers a broad range. I am mostly known for strip construction work which involves cutting narrow strips of glass and placing them on edge to create detailed patterns. That technique enables the creation of complex geometric designs with bright colors, strong lines and sharp contrasts. I also enjoy creating more abstract works where I carefully select and arrange glass with a general goal in mind, then let physics take over as heat allows the glass to flow while gravity, viscosity and surface tension interact to complete the composition.

My engineering background expresses itself in my glass artwork in terms of design influence, process control and in the precision and attention to detail. My work often requires the creation of multiple component pieces that are combined to create the final piece. These factors can be seen in the carefully cold-worked edges featured in much of my work, and in details such as racing stripes around the perimeter and mitered corners in the glass that I frequently use to frame pieces.