A man of the sea as much as he is a man of the arts, Chris Hawthorne lives and creates on the Southern Coast of Oregon. He has achieved international recognition for his large, colorful, loosely-handled blown glass artwork. Initially interested in stained glass, Chris fell in love with hot glass when he studied at the Pilchuck Glass Center in the late ‘70’s and ‘80’s. Inspired by teachers, including Dan Dailey and Lino Taglapietra, Chris began to explore the spectrum of colors and optical effects possible in his medium. A surfer and former commercial fisherman who now fishes off his coastal home in a canoe, Chris was recently commissioned to create a series of jellies. Many generations of his magical glass creatures now welcome visitors to the Hawthorne Gallery. The Monterey Bay Area and the National Marine Sanctuary off coastal California is inspiration for the creation of these delicate sea creatures in blown glass. In each of Chris’ works, it is the harmony of color and form that distinguishes his vessels. Chris has flattened his vertical forms, creating panes like stretched glass canvases and has also blown out large open glass bowls, blending in equal proportions the concerns of painter and sculptor. "Working with hot glass involves control, vision and spontaneity," Chris says, "It’s like music, you can never know it all, and there is always more to learn. It combines physics, timing and an intuitive understanding of the material." With a smile he adds, "I expect to be doing this for the rest of my life." On his latest trip to Big Sur, Chris surfed with his nephew at a remote beach. As he rested between waves, he watched a small, delicate jellyfish float by. "I was glad to see that," he said. "It’s a positive sign for the ocean and perhaps a good omen for planetary health as well." Education Pilchuck Glass Center 1978 Flat Glass - Patrick Reyntiens 1979 Hot Glass - Joel Meyers & Dan Dailey 1984 Hot Glass - Marvin Lipofsky & Fritz Dreisbach 1987 Advanced Glass Blowing - Lino Tagliapietra 1991 Solid off- hand glass sculpture - Loredano Rosin 1998 Advanced Flameworking - Lucio Bubbaco Recent Exhibitions [Partial List]: 2003 Muskegon Museum of Art, One Man Show, Muskegon, MI 2002 National Liberty Museum, Glass Now 2002 - Philadelphia, PA 2000 Art Resources Gallery - Minneapolis, MN Coos Art Museum - Light Impressions - Coos Bay, OR Adam Whitney Gallery - Omaha, NE Katie Gingrass Gallery - Madison, WI 1999 Oregon Coast Aquarium - Newport, OR 24 month "Jewels of the Sea" exhibition Ellen Noel Art Museum - Odessa, TX Robert Kidd Galleries - Birmingham, MI Grohe Gallery - Boston, MA 1998 M.C. Gallery - Minneapolis, MN Grohe Gallery - Boston, MA 1997 Edgewood Orchard Galleries - Fish Creek, WI - Aug Robert Kidd Galleries - Birmingham, MI - June 1996 Philabaum Glass Gallery - Tucson, AZ - Massicio - A Tribute to Loredano Rosin Signature/Grohe Gallery-Glass Art Society Conference Exhibition Boston, MA Joyce Petter Gallery - Saugatuck, MI 1995 Hawthorne Gallery - Big Sur, CA - Permanent Exhibition - 1995 - Present Reflections Gallery - Europ'ART, Genéve, Switzerland Joyce Petter - Saugatuck, MI 1994 M.C. Gallery - SOFA - Navy Pier, Chicago IL Gallery by the Lake - Solo Exhibition - Coeur d' Alene, ID Pismo - Denver, CO Sable V - Wimberley, TX 1993 Joan Hodgell Gallery - Solo Exhibition - Sarasota, FL Coos Art Museum - Fine Art of Vessels - Three Person Exhibition - Coos Bay, OR M.C. Gallery- New Art Forms - Navy Pier, Chicago IL Philabaum Glass Studios and Gallery - Fall Glass Review - Tucson, AZ Sable V - Wimberley, TX Joyce Petter Gallery - Two Person Exhibition Saugatuck, MI Katie Gingrass Gallery - Shapes of Color - Madison, WI 1992 Christy Taylor Gallery- Solo Exhibition BocaRaton,FL M.C. Gallery- New Art Forms - Navy Pier, Chicago IL Joyce Petter Gallery - Saugatuck, MI 1991 Vespermann Glass Gallery - Atlanta, GA Robert Kidd Galleries - Invitational Show - Birmingham, MI Christy Taylor Gallery - Boca Raton, FL 1990 Maveety Gallery - Salishan, OR Joyce Petter Gallery - Saugatuck, MI American Craft At The Armory - New York, NY D'Erlien Fine Art - Invitational Show - Milwaukee, WI Grohe Glass Gallery - Boston, MA Chrisy Taylor Gallery - Boca Raton, FL 1989 Vespermann Glass Gallery - Atlanta, GA MC Gallery - Minneapolis, MN Robert Kidd Galleries - National Glass Invitational Exhibition - Detroit, MI Craftsman's Gallery - Scarsdale, NY Highlight Gallery - Mendocino, CA Collections [Partial List]: Museum of FineArt - Boston Muskegon Museum of Art Coos Art Museum Carolina Power and Light Dow Chemical UAW/Chrysler Corporation Collection Renaissance Vineyards Southern Company Penta Hotels Motorola Corporation Trammel Crowe NWLI - Northwest Life Insurance St.Paul Companies Prudential Securities Peat Marwick Old Kent Bank - Grand Rapids, MI Gillette Corporation Knauf Fiberglass