Brian Kerkvliet Works

Biography

Brian Kerkvliet has been working with glass since 1977.  He has taught workshops in Canada, New Zealand, Australia and the U.S., including Pilchuck Glass School and Penland School of Arts and Crafts.  Brian has been a TA and scholarship recipient at Pilchuck since the early eighties.  Currently he runs Gossamer Glass Studios at Inspiration Farms, a hot glass/lampworking studio in Washington.  He focuses on several different aspects of glasswork.  Lampworked goblets, sculpture, neon, beads and furnace blown goblets, bowls & vases with an emphasis on incorporating lampworked imagery onto the pieces.

Brian’s style is fairly diverse encompassing many facets of glass art, however the fun and whimsy that is expressed in his work shines through out the whole spectrum of his pieces.  From the intimate cosmic and vessel beads to sculptural figurative goblets and the Cosmic kid series.  A joy for life and technical expertise is expressed in each and every piece.  Brian has taken many ago old classical glass working techniques and added his own contemporary, childish enthusiasm and blended it together where it works to bring joyful glass into existence.

Since 1994 Brian has been writing a “bead and lampworking” column for Glass Art magazine.  As well as hosting a summer series of glass workshops at his studio at Inspiration Farm.  Where he and other nationally recognized glass artists instruct aspiring students.

His work was included in the National Geographic’s show “Glass” and he has work in the collections of the Corning Glass Museum, The Bead Museum, and many other private and public collections.

Artist's Statement

My life has shifted significantly in recent years as I strive for better harmony and alignment with my surrounding environment. By continual contemplation and research, transformation is occurring both in the way that I create my work and how my lifestyle is structured. Evolving awareness encourages me to juggle energy between artistic pursuits, family life, and farming projects. As things become more complex in our society, I find pleasure in the simple necessities of life: a beautiful row of vegetables, a flush of fall mushrooms, a warm loaf of bread, a hot nutritious meal, and the clucking of chickens in the afternoon sun.

Glass is just one expression of my fascination with the natural world. Including various patterns, symbols and references to micro or macro forms in nature. Be it literally or figuratively represented it brings me into the fold of creation. I draw additional inspiration from glass masters of ancient Egypt, Rome, and classical Venetian times. As they pushed boundaries of their medium, I too find joy in new technical and esthetic achievements.

As a glass artist I realize the significant carbon foot print of my profession. With this in mind I took a year to redesign and build a new furnace from the bottom up. I developed a hybrid furnace that recuperates exhaust heat into the combustion air, reducing my previous energy consumption by 70%. The internal furnace temperature is 2150°F, continuously for months. The flue exhaust is 250°F, recuperating 1900°F of hot air. Next project is to capture residual heat from around the doors and flue into a hot water system that will heat the floor of the studio and our greenhouse during the winter months, thus providing food. I try to calculate and offset the carbon foot print of each piece I create, by planting trees and building intensive hot compost piles that sequester carbon into the soil here on the farm. By creating nutrient rich organic soil, we can supply food to local markets, thus further reducing the need for transportation fuel. This spring I planted close to 300 trees on our land, 50 were fruit and nut trees, which will provide a food forest for years to come.

For the past several years my family and I have been relearning old ways of sustainable living infused with new ideas, resulting in one of the most exciting and fulfilling chapters of my life. Everyday I learn something new or discover the next thing I want to explore. What next? ... wood gasifier? methane digester? hive of bees? steam turbine?... always aspiring to tie glass related alternative combustion technology to farm by products.

I love creating one of a kind functional pieces of beauty that are responsibly made and have enduring value, strangely rare in this day and age of mass production. Each piece is personally signed and dated, guaranteed to include the costs of their carbon offset. I hope that you enjoy and appreciate the effort given to create these one of a kind pieces in as sustainable a way as possible.