Born to an artist and an engineer in Florence, AL, Cal Breed has spent his life trying to reconcile the dichotomy. He started down the path toward a degree in marine biology, but eventually felt the calling to do something expressive with his hands. In 1994, he discovered the medium of glass—initially assembling stained glass windows, which ultimately lead him to glassblowing.

Cal first apprenticed under Cam Langley, one of the South’s leading hot glass artists. He went on to earn his BFA at Ohio State University. Cal received scholarships at both Haystack and Pilchuck Glass Schools where he studied with Dante Marioni, Dick Marquis, Lino Tagliapietra, and Benjamin Moore.

In 2002, Cal returned to his roots, opening his own studio, Orbix Hot Glass, in Fort Payne, AL, near Little River Canyon National Preserve. His work is both functional and beautiful, technically proficient and expressive, marrying the engineer and the artist within. His Radiance Series, incalmo bands reminiscent of ripples on water, call to mind his earlier ties to the water

Now Cal is heading in a new direction—vertical. He is doing cane work that enables him to create vertical versus horizontal bands. He is also experimenting with a few new forms and adding some playful opaque colors that express his current forms differently.

Raisen Cane Bottle by Cal Breed

Like many glass artists, Chris Mosey started out in ceramics. At Tennessee’s Appalachian Center for Crafts, he spent his early student years throwing pots. Stepping into the glassblowing studio to fulfill a graduation requirement, Mosey suddenly found himself stoked with a new passion for glass. "I got totally sucked in right away," he recalls, "the process just grabbed me. I love the fluid nature of hot glass, and the way you can move it. It’s exciting, fast-paced, and so immediate. Glass is also a humbling material—it’ll take your confidence away in a moment."

Mosey’s confidence is pretty resilient. He opened Ignis Glass Studio in downtown Chattanooga in 2001, just over a year after receiving his B.F.A. Working with one assistant and a studio manager, Mosey creates a broad range of exciting vessels and sculptural pieces, and has made Ignis Glass a success from the start. Although his focus is designing for Ignis Glass, Mosey also produces one-of-a-kind pieces and the occasional commission, from custom lamps and sconces to awards for local businesses.

With its creative outreach efforts, the studio has also established a real presence in the city’s revitalization arts district. Ignis Glass regularly hosts school groups, letting kids choose colors and take turns blowing into the pipe to help create their own ornaments. The kids eat it up, of course, and so do adults; they’ve booked the studio for plenty of grownup events as well.

That versatility is clearly evident in Mosey’s own work, which encompasses natural forms, sculptural vessels, dramatically crackled bowls, and simple cylinders or cones wrapped with colorful threads. His bold sense of color results in surprising combinations. You might not think burgundy, sage green, and bright orange would work together, but Mosey makes it happen. Grounded in traditional Italian glassblowing technique, an eye for dramatic proportion, and his own strong work ethic, Mosey creates art glass that sparkles with energy and light.

Threaded Cylinder 16 by Chris Mosey

Home 14 by Lisa Call

Without a doubt, one of the great joys of my work is meeting artists in their studios. The combination of actually getting to know an individual artist, seeing more of their work (including work in progress), and seeing them in their own environment allows me to develop a deeper understanding of them and their work and often see the work in a new light. This past weekend I was in Denver and Boulder, visiting with three Artful Home artists, each of whom works in a different medium.

The first stop was at the home and studio of Lisa Call. Lisa is a textile artists (and software engineer!) who often develops whole series of quilts around particular themes. Currently, she is exploring houses, strongly influenced by her recent overhaul of her own home and life, thus exploring what “home” means to her.

Lisa boldly explores her theme in multiple scales, from teeny tiny 3″ squares to large pieces. Seeing Lisa in her light filled studio with her larger pieces helped me understand her draw to the house structure, and notice the exquisite detail of her hand-dyed fabrics, her painterly color sense, and detailed, almost obsessive quality to her stitching.

Striations Cuff – River Blue by Julie Powell

The next stop was in Boulder, to the home and studio of Julie Powell. Julie is a former quilter (and outstanding baker!) who now employs her fascination with color and texture in amazing beadwork jewelry.

I got to see this Striations Cuff in person, along with many other pieces, and came to understand Julie’s process. She starts with a feeling, in this case, the desire to convey the motion and rush of a Colorado river. Working with a sketch that she uses as inspiration, Julie starts in the middle of the piece and lets the piece take form from there. The end result is dazzling, sculptural, and unique , so much so that a friend who had joined me for the visit, an avid fly-fisherman, had to purchase it on the spot – just because!

And in my hand is one which you’ll soon be able to find on Artful Home – and my wrist!

Teardrop Hall Table by Derek Secor Davis

My final visit was to the home and studio of Derek Secor Davis. He lives in the gorgeous foothills of the Rockies, and finding him required driving up and up and up along a breathtakingly beautiful road through gold mining country. Derek is a furniture artist whose elegant work employs sculptural elements, sophisticated whimsy, and masterful craftsmanship. Seeing work in progress revealed the painstaking carving, milk-painting, sanding, carving processes Derek uses to create his subtly textured surfaces and forms. Even more interesting was seeing Derek’s pieces in a home environment.

Sometimes it is easy to assume that a piece of contemporary furniture might be too “out there” for your home. Yet, in Derek’s home, the Teardrop Table lived perfectly happily next to the coziest of chairs, as evidenced by this photo of the artist himself. And yes, Derek built his home, and it is a thing of beauty!

After leaving these three artists, I was reminded of something I was taught in art school, that as an observer of art one should be willing to let the work “sink in”. Any one piece represents all the years of experience of that artist, funneled into a specific work. Meeting the artists, hearing how they think about their work and what inspired them, allowed their work to sink into my brain even more deeply, and I am grateful for their allowing me to experience that.

Landscape and Architecture by Chin Yuen

As a US based company it’s easy for us to talk about art glass in California, or the energy of fine craft in North Carolina. But with such a long history of free interchange of commerce and ideas between us, it would be a huge disservice to our northern neighbors not to talk about their rich influence on North American art. This is especially evident in the colorful art and design shows that are going on today in the country. Two major shows, one on each coast, attract the finest artists, as well as art, craft and design aficionados.

The One of a Kind Show and Sale first began in Toronto in 1975, and has since branched into shows in Vancouver, Chicago, and New York. What started as a simple desire to bring the unique craft of a few energetic artists to a wider audience has since grown into one of the best venues for an art lover to find original work-as well as for an artist to share his or her latest unique creations. Likewise, the Interior Design Show West in Vancouver is an annual showcase of Canadian and international talent, one which several Artful Home artists have used to introduce themselves to a design-loving public.

A strong streak of individualist creativity seems to unite much of the work of Canadian artists. Chin Yuen, whose paintings take the form of an abstract diary played out on canvas, reflects the impact of her exposure to different artistic educations and cultures, with thematic interests in socio-cultural issues and the celebrations of things she loves such as dance, acrobats, and jazz.

The influence of international contemporary design is also noticeable in the work of Canadian furniture artists. Enrico Konig and Kino Guerin seem to be able to ride the leading edge of design, offering uniquely practical furniture with graceful curves and distinct architectural lines.

Black Walnut Rectilinear Coffee Table by Enrico Konig