Nicholas Nourot Works

Born into glass, Nicholas Cash Nourot's early years were full of hours of playing in the studio and watching his parents, Micheal & Ann Nourot, create their work. At the young age of 6, Nicholas had already been designing glass pieces and executing them with the help and supervision of his parents and older sister. He was quite content to sit in the studio and watch for hours. One of the highlights of his early years in the Nourot studio was the honor of having a private lesson with master glass-blower Lino Tagliapietra. Lino was in town with Dante Marioni for the 1994 G.A.S. conference, and had accepted an invitation by Micheal Nourot to demonstrate in their Benicia Studio.

The time came for Nicholas to get a job, and the only one he wanted was in the studio. Assistant to several artists in the studio including his mother Ann, Nicholas started to learn the process even more thoroughly. By the time he was sixteen, he was creating large scale vases that were always a bit different than what his parents made. A huge draw for him was the technical challenges that come when working in a team to create a piece that was on center and had a beautiful appearance as well.

After graduating from Benicia High School in 2002, Nicholas moved to Eugene Oregon to study and teach at the Eugene Glass School. Working closely with Charles Lowery he was inspired by new techniques he hadn't been exposed to in the family studio. During this time Micheal Nourot came up to Eugene to do a demonstration with Nicholas. Also while at the Eugene school Nicholas was exposed to the Italian style of goblet making, which would influence his journey later. In 2004 Nicholas went to Seattle to look for a job in the glass industry.

Having fallen in love with the Northwest, Nicholas was reluctant to move back to California, but in the fall of 2004 he returned home to learn more about the family studio. While working part time for the family shop, Nicholas also taught at San Jose State University under Professor Mary White. There he was fortunate enough to be around for the 40th anniversary of the SJSU glass program, at which he was able to meet and assist Fritz Drisbach.