Icefire Glassworks

The craftsmanship at Icefire Glassworks begins with the building. With its hand-hewn cedar posts and its steel brackets referencing Pacific Northwest Native American design, it embodies the aesthetics and ethics of the 1970s. The iron hinges on its south doors were made of material salvaged from a shipwreck, and the roof was recycled from an airplane hangar.

The creative spark doesn't stop there. Born in fire, become smooth as water, blown glass pieces line the windows, shelves and pedestals of this rustic gallery. Playful freeform vases, bowls that reference more formal ideas, and sensual twists of color capture the light and send it rippling across their surfaces while visitors watch new works come into being.

Educated as a potter, self-educated as a glass artist, owner James Kingwell brings thirty-eight years of experience to his classic, simple forms, while his colors run the gamut from the serene blues and greens of his Northern Lights pieces to the electric vigor of his “Bad Hair Day” series.

Suzanne Kindland began blowing glass in 1993. Her inspiration comes from her walks in the woods, as is reflected in her Autumn Leaves series.  She uses the tangled patterns of Nature and glints of sunlight to evoke forests, grasslands and deserts.  A new series, the “Brocades”, features multiple complex applications of frits, powders and gold or silver leaf.

Former watercolor artist Michelle Kaptur brings a little bling to the glass in her Aventurine series, and expresses her adoration of ancient cultures in her Rock Art pieces, while developing glassblower Mark Gordon makes playful fish sculptures and Nemo vases.