Robert Burch [b. 1991] is an experimental glass artist unbound by medium or physical location. He creates wherever he is; the mountains of Colorado, New York City, Asheville, etc. As a life-long skateboarder and creative, he is an engaged participant in countercultural world views and artistic practices. His work is rooted in analog processes however, Robert completed a degree in graphic design [School of Visual Arts, NYC, 2022] at a characteristically unconventional time and has since combined motifs developed across mediums to carve out a style and voice for himself.Robert’s nomadic life is reflected in the myriad media he employs in his work. Primarily a glass artist (he began apprenticing at 16), he adds items such as keys and rocks and other dichotomous materials to glass. He ties rock climbing rope together with rope made of glass, wraps barbed wire around vases, creates human-sized cairns with blown glass stones and found rocks. His use of material is rivaled only by his ability to manipulate it and he is truly unrestricted by a studio. Robert also creates work after considering his environmental impact and thus uses found and recycled materials as well as sourcing 90% of his glass from Jackson County Energy Park located in Dillsboro (about 4 miles from his tiny, off-grid house). Instead, he creates connections and works in studios and in concert with artists around North America and Europe, collaboration and exploration at the core of what he creates.At the beginning of 2024, Robert debuted with nine other contestants on the Netflix glass blowing series, ‘Blown Away’. Spoiler: he didn’t make it very far. However he is using this opportunity to explore untapped collaborations and creative outlets, to continue the evolution of his creative practice.