Art Glass Vessels by Randi Solin

Randi F. Solin first established Solinglass Studio with her former husband David in Mt. Shasta, California in 1995, later relocating to its present studio in Brattleboro, Vermont. Working and designing on her own (with hot glass assistants Marie Walker and George Billesimo, and with cold worker Michael Wind) since 2001, Randi's work has been acquired by the permanent collections of The White House, The United States Embassies in Algeria and Guinea, and has been seen in solo and group shows in galleries and museums across the country. Her work is currently represented by over one hundred art galleries nationwide.

Randi incorporates techniques found in both classic Venetian glassblowing and the American Art Glass movement, however, her unique style and coloration process is entirely her own. "I approach my work two dimensionally," she explains, "like a painter to a canvas or a weaver using thread to create an intricate tapestry. My glass pieces are compositions, and, atypical to glass blowing in general, they have a 'front.' Generally my forms have an Asian influenced simplicity, which allows for my complex coloration process. I build layer upon layer of color using glass in all particle sizes — powder, cane, frit, and rod-like a painter's palette, to create original homogeneous coloration and truly one-of-a-kind work."

Solin has received several Best in Show and Best in Glass awards for work exhibited at arts festivals in Connecticut, Florida, Rhode Island, and Vermont. Her piece Uruqin was hand selected by the chief curator of the Museum of Art and Design to be exhibited in the 11th Annual National Juried Exhibition of Contemporary Craft, Craft Forms 2005. Her expertise in the field of fine craft has earned her a position as juror for the Long's Park Art and Craft Festival in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

Randi never tires of looking for ways to push glass to the edge. Her work remains unmatched. As she continues to develop new work, she continues to challenge preconceived notions about blown glass, dazzling collectors with her exceptional technical skill and highly inventive coloration style.

“My work is rooted in the process of creating. I'm in love with the act of blowing glass, and with its optical properties.

“My optics serve as the window into my coloration process — into the "soul" of a piece — allowing the viewer to peer into its life, like the rings of a tree. All of my pieces are intellectually created on that notion; that with each finished work, a history is revealed. My layering and coloration process is all about showing that the piece was made over time. I accentuate each individual layer, which for me is a tremendously important component to my work. My optics — the cut and polish, the juxtaposition of this organic form with this stark hard edge — is unique to my work and a signature of sorts. My work requires the viewer to interact with the piece, to hold it, pick it up, to look into its interior life, to feel its incredible weight and mass, and to engage with its optics and its coloration.”