Artist Profiles

Bob Merry Studios :: Cynthia England :: Donjo :: Dynasty Gallery :: Gartner Blade :: Lise Hoffman :: Lundberg Studios :: Mark Hines :: Michael Hopko :: Peet Robison :: Steel Dreams

Bob Merry Studios

In 1980, Bob moved to Alaska to work, hunt, and fish in the Last Frontier. Bob still goes into the Arctic wilderness for roughly 30 days every September to collect antlers for his carvings.

“Our art is directly tied to the natural beauty of the Earth! We set out to locate antlers and bone that have been shed naturally from the wild animals that make their homes in the Alaska Arctic. In collecting these parts for use as our medium, we can visualize each in our own way of interpretation, what each will become as it is transformed into a beautiful work of art that can be passed on traditionally from generation to generation."

“Each individual carving is made with the caring and consideration that you will truly enjoy and share with your family as it rests in a special place in your home. Our family business is carving; it is something that we all love to do together and share with you.”
Bob Merry

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Cynthia Daiboch

The interplay of light and color from a Tiffany lamp left a lasting impression on Cynthia when she was a child. In 1980, she began working with glass, developing her expertise in stained glass, glass fusing, slumping, and glass blowing.

She also holds degrees from Ohio State University and San Diego State University.

Working and studying with internationally recognized glass artists over the past 15 years, her main focus has been glass blowing.

Cynthia says, "Living in Alaska can be isolating but gives you a sense of independence in the creative process." The vibrant colors and dynamic lines of each form reflect the extremes in the Alaska environment in which she works. Cynthia uses heat, gravity, and centrifugal force to determine the final shape each piece will take.

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Donjo

Donjo is an internationally renowned artist-sculptor. Born in Chicago in 1949 and raised in Southern California, this remarkable artist, know for his work on endangered species, was introduced to sculpture at the age of eleven and put himself through school by selling his bronze works at weekend art shows.

In 1987, he began to focus exclusively on sculpting with a strong emphasis on marine life. In his new line of exquisitely detailed marine life sculptures, Donjo captures the true essence of the sea in Bronze and Copper Fill. It is easy to understand how this artist's creations have attracted an international audience by seeing the majestic beauty of the humpback whale or the playfulness of a family of dolphins. However, he will not compromise his true objective, which is to develop public awareness and to help with the preservation of marine life and other endangered species.

Donjo is well-known for his works in surrealism, realism, and fantasy, consisting of studies, portraits, fairy tale characters, and endangered species. He is one of the few who constructs gallery and monument size statues in three-dimension and two-dimension relief.

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Gartner Blade

Gartner Blade glass is the work of Stephen Gartner and Danielle Blade. Business partners since 1995, Danielle and Stephen combine their individual ideas, techniques, and experiences to create original works in handblown and sculpted glass. Over the past decade, they have been developing a series of pieces that explores their interpretation of objects of ritual and worship. The inspiration for these pieces is rooted in nature and begins with their mutual fascination with the use of objects found in the rituals of primitive cultures. In these pieces, they hope to convey a reverence for and an understanding of the value of our natural resources.

Natural elements such as bone, antler, wood, vines, fossils, and rock formations have inspired their signature designs, which include covered vessels, chalices, and sculptural amulets.

Their work combines traditional handblown technique with innovative color application and original sculpting techniques.

Prior to opening their own studio, both Stephen and Danielle studied with prominent American and European glass artists. Both have worked as glasshouse gaffers and glassblowing instructors.

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Lise Hoffman

“Glass is my canvas. Just as every painter carefully chooses a canvas, I also select my glass pieces, which come from all over the world. My favorite subjects tend to be aquatic, but I also carve other wildlife and flowers too.”

Often mistaken for etched glass, the artist stresses that no chemicals are used. The glass is sculpted through a combination of high pressure carving and diamond engraving.

“I got started after seeing a piece of glass art several years ago that so stunned me, I was driven to learn. Through pure stubbornness, I persevered by trial and error until I got it right. Boy, did I ruin a lot of glass in the process, but it was worth it!”

Lise’s work was featured in the University of Alaska Museum’s “Working Inspirations” exhibit in the fall of 1993 and was selected for the national “Glass Act” show at the Galleria Mesa in Arizona in the spring of 1997. She also has an ornament that is part of the national collection in the White House, as well as a piece in the Smithsonian.

Lise makes her home in Anchorage with her family. When not carving glass, she is an avid skier, scuba diver, and underwater photographer.

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Mark Hines

Mark Hines was born and raised in Southern California. Although Mark is basically a self-taught artist, early in his career he studied Glass Design and Ceramics at USC. In 1976, he began working with stained glass. From there, he progressed to ceramics and, in particular, Raku vases, which enjoyed great success.

Mark currently produces a large and varied line of modern slump glass pieces, making use of knowledge he gained while working with stained glass and ceramics. Sand molds give the glass an organic look, and iron stands make the pieces very functional. His clients, many of whom are interior decorators, began requesting oversize pieces, and Mark has been able to accommodate their requests with large glass vases, bowls, chargers, and candlestick holders.

Mark's designs have been shown in Architectural Digest, and his pieces are in collections worldwide.

Mark and Jeanne Hines and their son, Eric, reside in Prescott, Arizona.

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Michael Hopko

Located in the Trinity Alps of Northern California, Soul Glass is a family owned and operated business. Michael Hopko has developed a collection of handblown sculptures that combine art and craftsmanship that capture the beauty and motion of nature through glass.

Michael Hopko's background in glass began in 1990 as an art student at Shasta College. After college, he worked as an apprentice glass blower with several different glass artists in California.

As an avid outdoorsman, Michael's interest in nature has led him to create a truly inspired line of glass. His glass sculptures include a variety of octopus, and a line of Trout, Bass, and Salmon, as well as colorful fish like the Mahi Mahi and Yellowfin Tuna.

Since 1996 as founder of Soul Glass, Michael has ensured that each piece of glass that leaves his studio is carefully handcrafted with a guarantee of supreme quality and uniqueness.

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Steel Dreams

Don Smith and Scot Hurley met in Leaburg, Oregon, while both were apprenticing under a well-known northwest metal sculptor. The friendship was forged. Don had a background in logging, and Scot had worked in pipe bending and metal fabrication. After being laid off from their jobs, they both found themselves working in this strange new environment and quickly realized their past working skills could be applied.

After years of study, they began to apply their new-found passions and ideas in a joint effort of creating their own sculptures. With never-ending imagination and vision, they are sure you will see new and exciting concepts and designs for years to come. Both men live in the Willamette Valley in Oregon, where they find much inspiration from the beauty that surrounds them.

They share a common passion for family and the outdoors, as well as helping within the community. They find peace and purpose through their artwork. Whether at home, with their families, in the studio, or cruising the highways on their Harleys, they are always in the creative process.

“We hope you enjoy our work as much as we enjoy creating it for you. The beauty that can be pulled from the different metals is like nothing else. It makes all the burns and stitches worth it!”
Scot and Don

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