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Nick Leonoff
"Since the first gather of glass I took from the furnace, I have been intrigued with glassblowing. I am driven by a passion for the process as well as the untapped potential of creating with a beautiful and seductive medium."
Nick Leonoff strives to create forms that are pleasing to the eye with an intricacy that invites viewers to engage with and contemplate each piece. He finds the textures and finishes that can be achieved through coldworking techniques fascinating—they allow him to expand the potential of each design beyond the furnace.
Using Swedish overlay techniques, Leonoff creates forms with layers of colored glass. He then carves into the layers with diamond wheels to expose the colors within. The carving process becomes the core of each design—and the blown pieces become the canvas on which the artist designs and creates. Using a variety of wheels with different profiles, Leonoff creates patterns that resemble everything from traditional textiles to modern industrial designs. Through this coldworking process, Leonoff explores the potential of the material and focuses his artistic vision.
When Leonoff learned to blow his first glass bubble from Alan Masaoka at Monterey Peninsula College, he was hooked on blowing glass. Since that time, he has studied at the Bay Area Glass Institute, Pittsburg Glass Center, Pilchuck Glass School, the Corning Museum of Glass, and Haystack Mountain School of Crafts, working with one renowned teacher after another.
Nick Leonoff strives to create forms that are pleasing to the eye with an intricacy that invites viewers to engage with and contemplate each piece. He finds the textures and finishes that can be achieved through coldworking techniques fascinating—they allow him to expand the potential of each design beyond the furnace.
Using Swedish overlay techniques, Leonoff creates forms with layers of colored glass. He then carves into the layers with diamond wheels to expose the colors within. The carving process becomes the core of each design—and the blown pieces become the canvas on which the artist designs and creates. Using a variety of wheels with different profiles, Leonoff creates patterns that resemble everything from traditional textiles to modern industrial designs. Through this coldworking process, Leonoff explores the potential of the material and focuses his artistic vision.
When Leonoff learned to blow his first glass bubble from Alan Masaoka at Monterey Peninsula College, he was hooked on blowing glass. Since that time, he has studied at the Bay Area Glass Institute, Pittsburg Glass Center, Pilchuck Glass School, the Corning Museum of Glass, and Haystack Mountain School of Crafts, working with one renowned teacher after another.
