California glass artist William Morris is world-renowned for his uncanny ability to make glass look like something it isn't, be it stone, wood, bone, or leather. In this 2013 clip, we see the artist at work and listen to him tell us, in his own words, why is he drawn to glass and how he approaches working with it.
William Morris b. 1957
Born in Carmel, California in 1957, William Morris was educated at California State University in Chico, California as well as Central Washington University in Ellensburg, Washington. In 1978, Morris arrived at the Pilchuck Glass School and found work initially as a truck driver, but quickly became involved in the hot shop where he learned under the school’s founder, Dale Chihuly, eventually becoming his chief gaffer in the 1980s. Morris remained with Chihuly for about 10 years, honing his skills with the best living glass artists, before forming his own studio and developing his own unique artistic vision.
Drawing inspiration from ancient cultures around the world—Egyptian, Asian, Native American—Morris created a body of work equally as beautiful as it is evocative, full of references to the natural world, human origins, and myths. Morris mastered the ability to mimic a variety of surfaces and textures in glass: bones, teeth, food, and animals appear lifelike, inviting touch and inspiring awe in viewers. His pieces, with their primordial beauty and intangible spiritual qualities, contrast the ancient and modern worlds and encourage reflection on humankind’s past and present relationship with nature. This is perhaps best summarized by curator and scholar Tina Oldknow: “In looking at Morris’s art, we are reminded of what it is to be ancient, what it is to be human; we momentarily reconnect with that elemental aspect of our psyches that is prehistoric. Beyond his technical brilliance in the craft of blowing and sculpting glass, it is Morris’s ability to enter and work within the realm of the unconscious that makes him a superior artist.”
After over 25 years of boundary-breaking work, Morris retired in 2007. His glass can be found in numerous public collections including The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Corning Museum of Glass, Corning, New York; American Glass Museum, Millville, New Jersey; Hokkaido Museum of Modern Art, Hokkaido, Japan; Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris, France; Auckland Museum, Auckland, New Zealand and the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, England.
Auction Results William Morris
