Colin Richardson Works

Art glass has been a part of Collin Richardson's life for as long as he can remember. Some of his earliest memories are of watching his mother as she cut and assembled intricate stained glass panels and sculptures to go in homes and public spaces in central Iowa.

Though Collin has only been making and selling his own designs since 2007, he has been involved with hot glass in one way or another since 1994 when he had an opportunity to take a short course at Corning's Studio Access to Glass. He took a second glass course at the Corning Glass Studio in 1996, with Eddie Bernard and Pamina Traylor. Since then he has been studying on his own and under the tutelage of his mother, Cathy Richardson. He took a break from glass for a while between 2000-2006 to attend Winona State University in Winona MN, where he studied Literature and Psychology. While working on his B.A. he started working with his mother at her studio and eventually decided to join her when he graduated from college. He worked with her for almost 6 years, but now has his own studio in Burnsville MN.

Artist's Statement

In my lampworked paperweights I strive to transform the ephemeral into the eternal, capturing a bloom that may last for only a day or a butterfly that may live for only a week. I am intrigued by botanical forms, by the incredible variety of colors, shapes, and textures in plant life. As I have begun creating my own designs for vacuum-encased paperweights I've turned to flowers and fruit for inspiration. My still-life assemblages, captured in clear glass, are an attempt to express both the intricate details of plant structure and the simple beauty of outward form.

I see each piece as a fresh opportunity, a chance to push my skills and my artistic sense a little farther.  One of the great joys of producing one-of-a-kind pieces is that I am not wedded to a specific style or design, so each piece reflects not only my overall artistic vision, but also my current mood, and the particular influences around me at the time.