Erik Halvorson
I am an artist and educator working primarily with glass. I use many glass making techniques including cast glass, blown glass, kiln worked glass, and illumination (neon). I am not limited to glass and often incorporate other materials into a piece, such as stone, steel, bronze, iron, or clay.
As a boy in Wisconsin, I used to rummage through the shelves and products in my father's variety store (which got me into trouble). This was my introduction to a multitude of materials and possibilities, an exploration of various worlds through merchandising. It would be many years later that this collection of experiences came to directly influence the way I use visual elements.
I found my way toward art making when I was a plant science major at the University of Wisconsin, River Falls. One day I happened to find myself in the got glass studio of the Art Department and I never returned to plant science. My path in art included a stint at the Royal College of Art in London, UK, a scholarship to the Taipei Normal University in Taipei, Taiwan, and a fellowship at the Creative Glass Center of America in Millville, NJ before attending Alfred University where I received an MFA with an emphasis in glass and sculpture.
When I make glass I begin to work, not with the substance that we take for granted in day to day life, but with the potential contained within it. Honoring the fluidity of glass and its illusion of solidity, I manipulate light, color, and form to create objects inspired by nature. Technique and shape lend themselves to utilitarian forms, but light gives the pieces life.
Currently, I live in Oneonta, NY, with my wife Su Yang. I teach glassblowing at Hartwick College and continue to experiment with a variety of materials, exploring how all the pieces fit together to make visual sense.
As a boy in Wisconsin, I used to rummage through the shelves and products in my father's variety store (which got me into trouble). This was my introduction to a multitude of materials and possibilities, an exploration of various worlds through merchandising. It would be many years later that this collection of experiences came to directly influence the way I use visual elements.
I found my way toward art making when I was a plant science major at the University of Wisconsin, River Falls. One day I happened to find myself in the got glass studio of the Art Department and I never returned to plant science. My path in art included a stint at the Royal College of Art in London, UK, a scholarship to the Taipei Normal University in Taipei, Taiwan, and a fellowship at the Creative Glass Center of America in Millville, NJ before attending Alfred University where I received an MFA with an emphasis in glass and sculpture.
When I make glass I begin to work, not with the substance that we take for granted in day to day life, but with the potential contained within it. Honoring the fluidity of glass and its illusion of solidity, I manipulate light, color, and form to create objects inspired by nature. Technique and shape lend themselves to utilitarian forms, but light gives the pieces life.
Currently, I live in Oneonta, NY, with my wife Su Yang. I teach glassblowing at Hartwick College and continue to experiment with a variety of materials, exploring how all the pieces fit together to make visual sense.