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ames Harmon speaks in almost poetic terms when he
describes the process of working with glass.

"It has this magical quality, an almost mesmerizing

mystique about it," said Harmon, a Pennsylvania-based
distinguished glass artist and professor with three decades
of experience in glass art. "It's this incredibly versatile
material--malleable, moldable--with amazing potential
to not only create art, but to benefit mankind."

It's a fascination that has held Harmon in its thrall

since his childhood, when he first visited the former
Corning Glass Works (now Corning, Inc.), not far from
his hometown of Castile, New York.

"That was one of the coolest museums I'd ever been

to," said Harmon, who built an impressive career
mastering the process of creating handmade glass.
"It was pretty inspiring, too, to see this material on
a scientific level, to see all that it could do."

The appeal of glass as an art form continued dur-

ing his high school years, when he was part of a small
group of students who toured glass factories on the
island of Murano, north of Venice. Later, while a
student at the Rhode Island School of Design, he
found his way to a short, intersession course on
glassblowing and realized he found his calling.

"I always knew I was going to be an artist," Harmon

recalled. "I knew I could draw fairly well and I was study-
ing sculpture. But I never thought I'd end up in glass."

Nearly 40 years later, Harmon has both the talent and

good fortune to earn a living doing something he loves.

"It's not always an easy life," he said. "In fact, it's a

hard life, even if you're very successful. You're always
working, always struggling to some degree. But it's a
very rewarding life."

Even by the standards of most professional artists,

Harmon's accomplishments are impressive. His back-
ground is highlighted by numerous awards, including the
prestigious Young American Craft Award (which he
received fresh out of graduate school), the Clay/Glass
Award from the American Craft Council, the NEA

The Crafts Report · June 2007

INSIGHT

GAINED

by Linda Harbrecht

Desert & Sky piece,

2006. 14" H x 12" W.
Blown glass with
glass wraps.

Part of the Nature Series: Black

Walnut, 2005. 13" H x 11" D.