We talked to an incredible glass artist named Dohn Joe Glass about his career and characteristic style. In the early 2000's Dohn Joe Glass was making money by working in kitchens, but he wasn't enjoying the work and wanted to find a way to make a more enjoyable living. A friend of his had recently started working with soft glass and borosilicate glass, and Dohn Joe Glass would regularly watch his friend work. This gave Dohn Joe Glass a lot of early exposure to glassblowing techniques, so when he lost his kitchen job he started working as a sort of apprentice with his friend, making around 20 - 30 spoon pipes each and every day.
Despite the fact that Dohn Joe Glass hated working in kitchens, the experience taught him a production mindset and a persistent work ethic which has helped him in his glassblowing career ever since. Eventually, Dohn Joe Glass went to work in a formal apprenticeship at a glassblowing shop in Seattle. During these early years Dohn Joe Glass learned a lot of new techniques by utilizing various online resources, and hasn't yet had the opportunity or funding to be able to attend classes or workshops, but he is hoping to do so in the future.
Now Dohn Joe Glass is working solo, and he's been working on the torch for roughly eight to nine years. He's developing a personal style which heavily relies on achieving a level of artistic symmetry rarely seen in glassworks, and Dohn Joe Glass' skills are put to the test with every new piece that he works on. He is certainly rising to the challenges that he has set for himself, and his style is blossoming into something that the glass industry has never seen before. Some of his pieces are achieving almost mirror-like symmetry and some of his friends have even suggested that he might be photoshopping his images.
Dohn Joe Glass' biggest source of inspiration is the work of other glassblowers. He greatly admires artists such as Eusheen, Banjo Glass, and JDZ. Dohn Joe Glass watches as many glass artists work as he can, and tries to pinpoint aspects of their work and art that he could utilize to benefit his own personal style. He sells a signature type of recycler known as Spoolcyclers which have a spool-like center section, typically including his characteristic horns and symmetrical designs. One of Dohn Joe Glass' favorite and most challenging pieces was called "the Emerald Token" (pictured above), a crazy piece which was inspired by Banjo Glass.
Lately, Dohn Joe Glass has been working hard to fulfill a backlog of shop orders that he accumulated throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, but he's hoping to collaborate with more artists once he gets caught back up on orders. In the future he's planning to attend some competitions including an upcoming competition hosted by Dr. Dabber. Dohn Joe Glass is also working on some cool behind-the-scenes projects including a possible new rewards system for custom orders. You can check out Dohn Joe Glass' incredible work over on his Instagram page. (@dohnjoeglass)
