Available at the Alberta Craft Gallery - Edmonton

Jeff Holmwood (Crawford Bay, BC) graduated from the glass program at the Alberta College of Art + Design in 1994. He has worked as a glass technician for Red Deer College and the Alberta College of Art + Design, and teaches workshops in Red Deer College’s Summer Series Program; Penland School of Crafts in North Carolina; Pilchuk Glass School in Stanwood, Washington; from his former studio Glass Happens in Edmonton and now from his new studio in Vancouver BC. Jeff‘s glasswork is focused on the principals of beauty, elegance and the unique twist that adds his signature style. His glass is represented in galleries across Canada, the US and is exhibited nationally and internationally.

His main source of inspiration is historical glass, from fine blown critallo of Renaissance Venice (his neo-Venetian series) to mosaic glass throughout the ages (his electric kool-aid or murrini series). With inspiration from these masterfully created historic sources, Jeff continues to push himself and the medium; as he is known for his technically challenging work.

Jeff Holmwood’s signature series is his Vortex Vessel. In this technically challenging and visually dramatic series, he integrates and elegant form with a complex surface design that results in a unique vortex pattern on each piece. Creating each Vortex Vessel is difficult, time consuming and subject to failure because of the many difficult to control variables of technique and chemistry. He pre-makes black glass cane, then later gathers a bubble of hot molten glass and picks up pieces of cane onto the bubble and twists it to a 90 degree angle. He uses a second pipe to create the axis vortex, allowing the pattern to open. The successfully completed Vortex Vessel offers a graceful silhouette, with lines of black and colour swirling in a vivid pattern that is distinctive to each vessel.

ACC Exhibitions: Mugs & Jugs (2003), In Our Own Backyard (2004), Gathering Glass (2006), Glass Happens (2008), Vetro Grande IV (2008), Glass 2009, THIRTY (2010), Natural Flow (2011)