Darriel Fisher
Glass Artist

My name is Darriel Fisher (first name pronounced like Gabriel). I am the sole artist and proprietor of The Glass Canvas which I opened in early 2006. I live in Elizabeth, Colorado with my wife of 27 years and two 4-legged “children”.

I grew up in Millville, New Jersey, a city known for it’s many glass companies (ie. Wheaton, Armstrong). Even as a child, I was fascinated by and tried to build things with the mountains of multi-colored glass discarded by the glass companies. The sheer beauty and potential of glass has always amazed me.

Even though my adult career paths have taken me in different directions, my hobbies have always seemed to include those requiring some level of craftsmanship and/or artistic design (ie. model train layouts, birdhouses). Two years ago, I decided to pursue glass artistry as a potential, secondary business opportunity. I completed several glass classes, converted the unfinished part of my basement into a glass-working shop (kiln, supplies, and all), bought numerous glass books, subscribed to glass magazines, searched the web, engaged in “glass chat” with other artists, and began my adventure. Make no mistake, this was hard work and expensive.

The first six months, I experimented with various techniques and glass pieces including wind chimes, table decorations, fused marble pieces, small wall hangings, etc. More often than not, my wife’s expression upon review of each piece was a mixture of kind support and the look of someone who just ate a sweet tart. On the other hand, I was able to sell some pieces fairly quickly on a web auction site and we were fairly impressed and encouraged by that. I understood this was going to take a lot of practice and hard work.

The next six months were more promising. Among other things, I created some difficult-to-perfect wall hangings which were a series of alternating-colored glass panels framed and secured by welded metal rods (my neighbor assisted with the welding). My wife (a software engineer) still loves these unique wall hangings and insists on keeping them in our living areas instead of paintings. We hung one above the oak fish tank cabinet (swirling brown and gold glass panels), along with tall plants on either side, and I must admit, they are all an extremely lovely and unique vision together.

Now my specialties include dichroic pendants, weaved glass and wood sculptures, weaved glass wall hangings, candle votives, and some glass mask sculptures. I like the phrase “weaved glass” (it was chosen on purpose) but there is a tendency of other artists to want to correct my grammar. My wife now views my pieces with pleasant surprise and wonder so that is encouraging. I enlist the help of a skilled, woodworking craftsman, a retired neighbor named Bill (who prefers to remain somewhat anonymous). When I create some of my weaved glass (vertical flat weaved, curved-image weaved, or masks), I often ask Bill if he will create a unique and beautifully-crafted wood structure to support and enhance the glass art colors and design. These finished weaved glass and wood art sculptures have drawn the attention of other artists, a handful of glass studios, and some commission work (although tight deadlines are not my cup of tea - sigh).

Whatever the future holds, successful business or hobby, I am thankfully doing something I passionately enjoy!

Visit my web site to view my gallery:

The Glass Canvas