* Artist Biography *
Quality Art Glass - Many Years Experience

Roger and Genevieve Vines operate Vines Art Glass studio and gallery on the southern Oregon coast. All of the pieces produced by Vines Art Glass begin with a gather of molten glass from the white hot crucible. A glob of glass is taken from the crucible and shares the consistency of warm taffy. Next it's decorated with small shards or chips of colored glass which are melted onto the surface, then manipulated with small hand tools. On some items, an iridescent coating is applied while the piece is still at 1300 degrees. Each year Vines Art Glass introduces new pieces to keep the work fresh, contemporary and collectable. All of the pieces are hand crafted using small hand tools and years of skill. When each item is finished, it is inspected for quality and only the finest examples are signed "Vines" and dated. In this era of imported and manufactured goods, our line is a refreshing addition for the collector who values handcrafted work from the American studio glass movement. Roger Vines "I discovered glass quite by accident in 1968 when I met Mike Whitley. He was setting up a glass studio at Highline College near Seattle Washington. He got me started and my life has never been the same. I became fascinated with the grace inherent in molten glass and the relationship that develops between the artist and the material. Since that first day in the hot shop I have been swept up in a beautiful dance with this unique material. Before "Pilchuck" and before G.A.S. and before the many commercial tools, kilns, and supplies were available, I forged steel pipe into blow irons and used sheep shears for jacks and discovered that Chinese checker marbles fit bottle glass. Sometimes! After 33 years, I still look into the annealing oven the next day with the excitement of a small boy on Christmas morning. As long as the music plays, I will continue this dance."