MADE HERE Sherwin Art Glass • Bellows Falls, Vermont

Warmth and imagination pervade glass artisan Chris Sherwin's studio, where samples of colored glass animal sculptures and small shapes like spheres or ovals showing highly detailed scenes within clear glass are just two types of his unique works displayed. His hand-built furnace supplies extreme heat to melt or form glass in an old riverside mill building workspace in Bellows Falls, Vermont. &emsp;The adjacent Connecticut River supplies hydro energy from a nearby dam in town, which powers his furnace and all equipment except his torch. Sherwin has operated his art glass business since 2005, learning about the opportunity to work here from Owen Dodge, whom he met at a local chili cook-off. This aligns with his environmental values, having a healthy alternative to fossil fuel use that he describes as "green glassblowing in the Green Mountain State." &emsp;In 1991, Sherwin took his first glassblowing course as a college elective, although he earned a B.S. in liberal studies with a concentration in special education from Southern Connecticut State University. He worked with developmentally disabled individuals for two years before apprenticing with Simon Pearce, Inc., a prestigious glass facility in Windsor and Quechee, Vermont. He gained significant experience there, followed by seven years in Chico, California, working as a glassblower at the internationally renowned Orient and Flume Art Glass and learning about torch design and color while his fiancée studied speech pathology. &emsp;"I tell people my life path as a glass artisan is a series of fortunate events," he says, reflecting on his thirty years of experience, many of those in his own studio. &emsp;His work is nature-inspired, and new projects may result from someone asking if he can make a particular item. The latest of these are colorful jellyfish. Sherwin says he doesn't necessarily consider himself an artist but likes "the process of making something really cool from raw materials." &emsp;Yet his work speaks for itself; many people admire and purchase his pieces as meaningful gifts and keepsakes, and the demand keeps him busy. &emsp;Sherwin makes special-order memorial "spirit" pieces, incorporating the ashes of a beloved person or pet into a glass sculpture. Depending on preference, the ashes may be swirled into the sculpture or tucked unseen within it. &emsp;Most of his work is done "on the pipe," demanding focus and attention to detail from start to finish. &emsp;"You have to concentrate; things can go sideways quickly. It can humble you in a way that other things may not," he notes. &emsp;He demonstrates part of his process, inserting a blowpipe into his 2,100-degree furnace to "gather out" molten glass. Then he quickly turns the pipe, explaining the similarity to a wood turner using a lathe, but in this case, Sherwin is the lathe. Working with heated glass is all about gravity, temperature, and centrifugal forces, which all impact the process of creating a piece. Yet, he notes that "timing is everything with glass." &emsp;Sherwin uses hand-pulled canes of glass made specifically for each design and a hand-held oxy-propane torch. He melts the cane tips with the torch and applies the design to the glass piece he creates. He describes this technique as "painting with glass." &emsp;Among his sculptures are colorful solid glass cardinals, bluebirds, owls, chickadees, finches and bears ranging in height from about two to five inches, each uniquely hand-crafted. Other shapes include fruit like strawberries, pears, and apples and seasonal pieces like pumpkins and snowmen — one style snowman appears half-melted into a puddle. &emsp;He creates stemless wine glasses and art glass paperweights. His paperweights' intricate, unique designs in the art glass world draw collectors and glass artists. &emsp;Sherwin's family intentionally returned to Bellows Falls, an area close to extended family and great opportunities for community involvement. &emsp;"Since 2005, I've always wanted an open-studio policy. If I'm here and the door's open, people are welcome to watch," says the artisan, who enjoys showing people this fascinating process. &emsp;He loves the technical challenge and freedom of this meaningful work, saying, "There's nothing, really, that I don't want to make." &emsp;He was juried into the League of NH Craftsmen in 2006 and has been a part of the Sunapee Annual Crafts Fair ever since; his work is in eight of the League's galleries. He also sells his work at Walpole Artisans Cooperative and is a founding The Vermont Glass Guild member. &emsp;See more of Sherwin's work at sherwinartglass.com.