Paul Willsea And Carol O’Brien/Willsea O’Brien Glass

Paul Willsea and Carol O'Brien are a husband and wife team. With their three children and an assortment of animals they reside and work in the beautiful Bristol Hills of western New York. By combining blown and cast glass they create classic contemporary bowls, tall vases and platters. The work reflects their interest in architecture, the effects of time, and the glass itself. Color is becoming more complex as they explore the different properties of colored glass and how it relates to form. Their work is elegant and refined. It is a stunning complement to a contemporary or traditional decor.

Willsea and O’Brien collaborate on a series of handblown glass vases, bowls and sculptural forms. The work reflects their interest in architecture, the effects of time, and the glass itself. Color is becoming more complex as they explore the different properties of colored glass and how it relates to form.

Their series of Pyramid Bowls and Vases feature a clear crystal, solid pyramidal base, sometimes accented with gold leaf. To this pyramid base they join either a classically shaped bowl or a tall funnel shaped vase in a variety of colors including alabaster, beeswax, mint, lilac, sky blue, cobalt blue, lime green, mango and black. They sometimes do a group of pyramid bowls in a crackle surface with an aurora of color accenting the rim.

Their color palette, which that ranges from subtle to bold, is achieved through the use of various formulations of metallic oxides mixed into the molten glass. When completed, each piece is individually signed and dated.

They blow and form each piece individually primarily from glass they have formulated and made themselves. The pyramid bases are formed in a mold, then joined hot to either bowls or vases, which have been formed and shaped freely, without molds.

Willsea earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in World History from Alfred University and has pursued further studies in Glass at the renowned Pilchuck Glass Center in Washington State. Prior to establishing his own studio in 1981, he apprenticed with master glass artists Ira Sapir and Randy Strong. O’Brien received her Bachelor of Arts degree, with honors in Art, from Hamilton College.

Their works have been shown at major galleries, museums and juried exhibitions throughout the United States, including the California Crafts Museum, San Francisco. Among the many corporate collections in which their work is represented are those of Hyatt Regency Hotels, Kawasaki, Dean Witter Reynolds Corporation, and Citibank.

Featured Collections:

Location: 8010 Illinois Road Fort Wayne, IN 46804 260.432.5498

Paul Willsea And Carol O’Brien/Willsea O’Brien Glass

Featured Collections:

Location:
8010 Illinois Road
Fort Wayne, IN 46804
260.432.5498