Jim Scheller

"I was introduced to glass kiln forming in 2012 after a long and enjoyable career as an engineer and technologist working with creatives in the athletic footwear and apparel industry around the world. Experimenting and learning about art, and glass as a medium, became my passion and a healthy addiction. I became a maker of glass objects."

Jim Scheller’s vessel designs are informed by simplicity and abstraction. His work is inspired by Neoplasticism and the artists of that period, beginning with the De Stijl movement of the early twentieth century. Always a scientist, he is fascinated with creating the processes that use heat and gravity to bring his designs to life in glass.

Scheller finds great pleasure in pushing the limits and developing new techniques. Works are composed with glass sheets, crushed glass (frit), and glass slabs (billets). These are then fired to over 1400 degrees Fahrenheit. Fired works are extensively cold worked for hours to achieve the final finish.

Jim Scheller began his training at Bullseye Glass Company in Portland, Oregon, taking classes and working in their open studio. In 2014, he studied at Pilchuck Glass School in Stanwood, Washington. In 2014 and 2015, he further developed his technical and artistic abilities at the Professional Kilnforming Residency at Pilchuck. Gracious mentoring from many of the best artists and friends is a continued blessing.