Gemma Hollister and Tate Newfield

"We strive to create work that brings people small moments of joy in the every day, all while showcasing our love for the traditional craft of glassmaking."

Tate and Gemma create work to capture the essence of nature in glass. Growing up in Hawaii and Pennsylvania respectively, the pair bring into form simple motifs found throughout their childhoods, such as the pineapple and acorn. Through the shimmering optical brilliance of glass, they hope to elevate these symbols into precious objects that will never fade.

Each piece is individually gathered onto a steel blowpipe from a crucible of molten glass melted at 2000 degrees. Once gathered, each piece is given its color by rolling the molten glass several times into crushed colored glass called frit. Then, the glass is hand shaped using traditional wood and steel tools and is slowly cooled to room temperature in a kiln.

Following their respective graduations from the Glass Departments at the Rochester Institute of Technology and the Tyler School of Art and Architecture, Tate and Gemma met at a glassblowing workshop in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Since then, they have brought together their unique perspectives and technical skill to create an ever evolving body of work, reflects their shared love of glass and nature.