Meet the Artist

Joe Hobbs spent his formative years in several different coastal locations. He started his studies at the Rhode Island School of Design and went on to the California College of Art and the Pilchuck Glass School. As a graffiti-obsessed art student, I signed on for a class in glass art, thinking I was taking a stained-glass course. Having grown up Catholic, I dreamt of melding the beauty of my church’s stained-glass with my love for illustration to create a uniquely inspired combination. However, when I walked into the studio and discovered I’d accidentally signed on for blown glass, something even more profound happened. The use of fire, the fluidity of the glass, the camaraderie of artists and the beauty of shaping something that could never return to its original form captivated me.  Joe earned his BFA in sculpture from the University of West Florida and has worked with glass ever since. This experience led to a lifelong pursuit of capturing memories in blown glass.

“The use of fire, the fluidity of the glass, the camaraderie of artists, and the beauty of shaping something that could never return to its original form captivated me. This experience led to a lifelong pursuit of capturing memories in blown glass. Playing to the strengths of the glass itself, I translate our reactions to the world around us. Glass reflects light like water and holds color like the sunset.

When working with glass, it feels alive. It’s heated to be molded and then cooled slowly as it takes a shape it can never go back to. Making pieces that people connect with through an experience or emotion is what drives me to create. In a way, glass is like a memory. One moment it takes form and can be constructed, then crystallizes to become uniquely transformed.”