Josh Simpson

View Josh's Work

With more than three decades of glass blowing experience, Josh Simpson is celebrated nationally and internationally. His artworks are born of a graceful and delicate dance. Josh coaxes the glass to explore the outer reaches of its core properties. He follows the molten liquid in a path to define its inherent complex beauty. With an eye to the sky, Josh astonishes collectors with his innovative glass creations.

Creative drive:
" The last thing I do before I go to bed is walk out to my studio to check the furnaces. Seeing an aurora borealis, or watching a thunderstorm develop down the valley, or just looking up at the sky on a perfect summer night inspires me to translate some of the wonder of the universe into my glass. That wonder comes out in my work, not in any purposeful way but slowly. My work evolves in such incremental steps that I often don't recognize the natural influences until someone points them out to me."

What is unique about your process:

"Evolution is an apt word to describe the trajectory of my work -- it is an organic process that happens over time and is full of trial and error. Thirty years into my career as a glass artist, I can look back and see the branching in the evolutionary family trees of my work. In the moment, when I am in my studio, I don't think about where I've come from, I merely ask the next question of myself and the glass and move toward its answer."

Personal relationship with your work:
"People often want to know the meaning behind my work, particularly the Planets; some think I have a profound understanding of life. I think I have an appreciation for what's around me - the sky at night, the changing seasons, the views I get looking out of my studio down the valley. I also have an appreciation for the material itself.

More than appreciative, I guess I'm curious - what do the hills around my home look like from a small airplane? What is this creature sticking its head out of this coral reef - will it bite, is it poisonous? What happens when I add metallic silver to molten glass?"

Thoughts on sharing art:
"I want my work to inspire such appreciation and curiosity. Viewers invent their own meaning as they gaze into the depths of a Portal or follow the bulging lines of a Copper Basket. I create objects that explore my questions. I hope to inspire viewers to ask their own."

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