Carrie Gustafson

Evergreen, Mbola Series, detail, 2012, SOLD
Please contact the gallery via email or by phone (860) 322-4265

This piece is part of Ms. Gustafson's new "Mbola Series" inspired by African currency bracelets. These intricately patterned blown glass forms are positioned and held within a custom metal stand designed by the artist.

Carrie Gustafson's joyful aesthetic is a quest for lightness and luminosity, which radiates through her colorful, bold modernist glass.  Her intricate patterns are inspired by the natural world.  Carrie experimented in glassblowing while a printmaking major at Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), which ignited her signature style of intricate patterns on vibrantly colored, hand-blown glass.

Her technique begins on the surface, where she applies an intricate web of hand cut stencils to the top layer of colored 'flash glass.' Next, she sandblasts through to multiple, translucent under-layers to reveal a matrix of color and light.

After RISD, Gustafson's BFA in printmaking was followed by studying glass at the Pilchuck Glass School (WA); Penland School of Crafts (NC); The Studio at The Corning Museum of Glass (NY) and at Rosin Studio, on Murano, Venice's historic 'glass island' in Italy.  Most notably, she was featured in five Smithsonian Craft Shows from 2003 – 2009.  In 2009, she was the recipient of the  award for "Excellence in Glass" and the catalogue cover featured her vessel.

In 2011, Ms. Gustafson received the following recognition and awards:
Massachusetts Cultural Council Craft Fellow, Boston, MA
Visiting Artist Residency, The Tacoma Museum of Glass, Tacoma, WA
Best in Show 3D, The Temple Arts Festival, Nashville, TN

Carrie has been featured in numerous publications and in several national exhibitions.  Her commissioned works can be found in restaurants and private homes throughout the country.