Leon Applebaum Works

Born in Toledo, Ohio, in 1945.  Leon Applebaum grew up in what would become the birthplace of American studio glass.  While an art student in Toledo, Leon’s dream of becoming a high school art teacher was shattered upon enrolling in his first hot glass class.  The molten material instantly intrigued Leon, resulting in an addiction to working hot glass that would shape and define the rest of his life.

Leon completely immersed himself into this newly discovered world of glass. He completed his BFA at the Massachusetts College of Art and then received his MA at Peabody College of Vanderbilt University.  Although Leon experienced success exhibiting and selling his work as an undergraduate, he sought to further his education beyond what the available universities could offer.

In 1973, Leon journeyed across the Atlantic to study the enduring tradition of Swedish glass forming at the Orrefor’s Glass School.  There Leon began to explore the Swedish style of optically thick glass that would influence the future of his work.

After a year of studying and working at Boda Glass in Sweden, Leon returned to the U.S. to pursue his MFA in glass from the Rochester Institute of Technology.  During this period, Leon was able to synthesize the Swedish glass techniques with his ideas of using the color spectrum and trapping air to create bubbles as a design element that continues to define his work.