Featured Artist Charles Friedman

Seattle, Washington

As a native Northwesterner I’ve been exposed to all manner of sea life. This influenced my signature series of “Shilshole Seashells from the Salish Sea” – fanciful marine shapes of both bright and subtle colors. No two are exactly alike. These shells are time-consuming and difficult to make, requiring a team of two or five highly trained people. The body part of the shell is blown first, in the off-hand style, with five or more layers of colored and clear glass added, then cut open while hot, and sculpted into shape. It is then embellished with additional bits of hot, worked glass.

All my life I have been into “Show and Tell” and being a thing-maker. I invented a widely used deadman switch to control the torches used by blowers and lampworkers and sell them on my website. I will have them at my studio on the Glass And Decor studio tour in Seattle October 15-16 if you do torchwork and want to try one
http://www.friedmanglassworks.com/homepage/tools

I have done lots of Street Fairs, Art Galleries, Museums, Public Exhibitions – State and International Festivals, showing and telling visitors about glass. In 2009 the “Shilshole Seashell Museum” (An Ersatz Art Installation for the truly curious and the magpie in all of us) was opened to the public and a Museum Catalog was printed. It has been updated with additional items and continuing stories of the seashells and their travels. If you buy one of the “exhibit cases” you get a free copy. This new version of the Seashell museum will be at the Blowing Sands studio and gallery in Seattle throughout October and November.

Because of health issues, I’m not currently blowing glass but I have a large inventory. You can see me at my studio on the Glass And Decor studio tour in Seattle October 15-16 (# 5 on tour map), and the Seashell museum at Blowing Sands (site #4).

Watch Charles blow a seashell

See more of Charles’ work on his Members’ Gallery page.