Laura Arns

Lampworked glass

Although I’m a computer scientist by day, I’ve been working with glass in various ways for more than 20 years during my free time. My favorite form of glass is lampworking, which shares similarities with the better-known furnace based glassblowing but is done on a smaller scale using a torch (also often called flameworked or torchworked glass). My pieces, though all focused on glass, span a wide range of interests and ideas. Unlike most lampwork glass artists that choose a single area to specialize in, I choose to work with both borosilicate and soft glass to create beads, marbles, blown ornaments, sculptures, goblets, and more.

Marbles and symmetric beads with precise designs appeal to the part of me with a background in mathematics, computers, and engineering, while sculptures and picture murrini allow me to be less constrained and build on my background in music and theater. Blown work such as goblets and vases allows me to combine my favorite parts of both worlds. In addition, working with both “hard” borosilicate glass and “soft” soda lime glass provides a larger color palette and the flexibility to create more types of objects.

I particularly enjoy collaborative projects with artists and artisans who work in other mediums, to find new applications for my glass pieces. I’ve had the opportunity to learn from numerous well-known lampworkers over the years, and now I enjoy passing along knowledge to new lampworkers as I teach group lessons at Bainbridge BARN, and private lessons at my studio in Bremerton.