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Schuster Glass Studio

Glass at the Pass and Crystal Mirage Gallery present the work of Ron Schuster, who uses ancient glassblowing techniques to create original designs in paperweights and other works. Ron and his assistant Keith Loomisuse the finest crystal and colored glass available. The artist intrest in hot glass work was spawned by a desire for a more spontaneous and uninhibited mode of expression within the glass medium.
His designs are distinguished by random, graceful shapes and interior elements that suggest coral reefs, flowers and whimsical shapes such as hearts and stars. His deliberate inclusion of trapped air bubbles adds to the optical interest, creating interior reflections.

Each piece is unique, enticing the viewer to look inside the glass to interpret shapes, images and forms that seem to change with the light and angle of vision. To achieve interesting optical interplays of color and reflection, Schuster combines transparent and translucent glass with clear crystal.

Using traditional glassblowing methods that are thousands of years old, he creates each piece at the end of a metal blowpipe, working the glass at temperatures in excess of 2000 degrees F.

For his interior elements, he uses a variety of colored enamels (like those used in cloisonne) and precious metals, in combination with bits of crushed glass. These elements fuse and melt together as they touch the hot glass, creating internal texture and luster.

He combines color and form to create a complete visual statement, combining primary and pastel colors that create an interaction with light. He achieves his distinctive colors using various formulations of metallic oxides such as gold, cobalt and others, blended into the molten glass.

Schuster's designs reveal a fascination with the optical properties of glass. Some pieces present intriguing visual distortions when viewed from different angles. When completed, each piece is signed with the initials of the studio (SGS) and dated.

Schuster earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from Indiana University and is essentially self taught in the use of glass as an artistic medium. He began working with stained glass in 1972, then switched to hot glass a decade later.

His works have been exhibited at galleries and juried exhibitions throughout the United States.

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