Belleau Art Glass 69 Tingley Street Providence, Rhode Island, U.S.A. 02903-1072 1.401.351.6770 GONZOGLASS@aol.com Artist's Statement Pictures of example artwork! How We Make It Places you can buy these things! Our New Gallery in Providence! See me at these shows! new Guestbook (improved!)

Christopher R. Belleau

There are many reasons why I work with glass. Though I was trained as a potter, apprenticing at age 13 to a craftsman from my home town in Wisconsin, I was eventually drawn to the more ethereal, fluid and translucent qualities of glass. But what really hooked me was the opportunity glass provides to play with color. I am the only glass blower in Rhode Island that makes colored glass from the raw ingredients on a regular basis. This allows for variations of intensity of hue, tone and depth which are not available with commercial colors. Recently, I have been experimenting with irridizing hot glass. I am captivated by the rainbow flow of colors with the variations of metalic and matt surface textures.

One of the aspects I truly enjoy about my profession is teamwork. Most of what I make requires the skill of another set of hands. I have the good fortune of working with many talented assistants. They have all brought with them unique ideas and ways of working from which I have learned and benefited.

The main focus of my work for the last 5 years has been the creation and production of glass flowers. Initially, I didn't even want to make flowers. A lot of glass blowers were doing them and they all looked pretty much the same. But the challenge of rendering these natural subjects in glass soon caught my imagination and I was on fire with ideas. I'm not attempting to make botanical specimens. Instead, I am making works of art inspired by nature. One of the tools I use to make flowers I developed for another purpose, making fish fins. I now have a line of more than 20 flower forms ranging from familiar flowers and exotics to purely fanciful. The most popular flower in my line is the iris. Though I make many flowers, each one is a unique creation requiring intense concentration and often great skill to produce.

In addition to flowers, I make many different types of vases, paperweights, perfume bottles, jewelry and other sculpture. One of my favorite things to make is glass fish. I am inspired by the infinite varieties and patterns of fish in nature. I enjoy letting my imagination run wild in their design.

Glass is a medium that provides me with endless opportunities for learning and exploration. This past summer I had the privilege to study the art of pate' de vere, from Kimiake and Shinichi Higuchi, at the Studio of the Corning Museum in Corning, NY. With pate' de vere, I have been able to use my knowledge of glass and my clay sculpting abilities to produce works that are greatly detailed and one-of-a-kind creations in glass.

Through the years I have worked with traditional techniques as well as methods that are largely unexplored. Several years ago, I had another class at the Studio of the Corning Museum focusing on traditional Italian techniques. And while every Italian method I have learned has made me a better glass blower, I find the techniques I come up with on my own have the most impact on the direction of my work. Naturally, these are the ones I utilize the most.

I hope that the viewer finds my work to have a sense of beauty, magic, and maybe, even humor. It is a pleasure for me to share what I do. I find it all great fun and an endless challenge.

Imagination is more important than Knowledge - Albert Einstein
Do what only you can do - My sister, Sara Belleau
Sin is to die without realizing your God given potential - Leo Buscalia