After pursuing a degree and career in child psychology, Alex Gabriel Bernstein decided to make a big change. He went back to school, got an MFA from the Rochester Institute of Technology’s School for American Crafts, and went on to teach at the Rochester Institute of Technology, the Cleveland Institute of Art, the Penland School of Crafts, and The Studio at the Corning Museum of Glass. After a stint as the head of the Glass Department at the Worcester Center for Crafts in Massachusetts, Bernstein decided to return to the Blue Ridge Mountains where he grew up and focus on making his own art.

His process begins with casting the glass in molds of his own making. He slowly allow the blocks to cool in a process called annealing (which process can take between a week and a month, depending on the size of the piece). He then carves the blocks into the desired forms. After using a diamond saw to make his signature cuts through the piece, he adds a steel base. His works seem so fluid, so graceful, I can’t resist it.

No stranger to art glass, this lucky guy is the son of two glass artists! That must have been a fascinating childhood. It certainly influenced him in some wonderful ways. I hope you are as taken with his work as I am! Check out his Window series and lead crystal work, too!