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James Hayes was born in 1966 in Pine Bluff, Arkansas with
his wife, Laura and daughter Sydney. After receiving an art degree
in 1988 from Hendrix College in Conway, Arkansas, he searched for a
new medium. Three months later, he discovered glassblowing at the
Arkansas Arts Center Museum School. In 1993, he bought his own
equipment and formed the James Hayes Art Glass Company. In 1996, he
purchased a dairy farm and converted the milking parlor in to a hot
shop and showroom.
He has studied glassblowing in Murano, Italy, Columbus,
Ohio and the Pilchuck Glass School near Seattle, Washington. Hayes
has had numerous solo and group exhibitions throughout the United
States. Some of his honors include an invitation from the White
House to design a Christmas tree ornament, television and radio
interviews the cover of At Home in Arkansas magazine best of media at
the Shreveport, Louisiana Red River Revel Arts Festival and best of
show at Riverfest in Little Rock, Arkansas. He also designed the 2001
Governor’s Arts Awards. His works were recently shown at an American
Craft Show in Chicago, Illinois.
Artist Statement – “ I use nature, chance, history and my
emotions as inspiration for my art glass. My art glass is playful,
adventurous and colorful. When I am making something, I always begin
with the end in mind. However, during the glass making process the
design can change or a happy accident occur.”
Creative Process – “I melt my clear glass in a furnace to
about 2000 degrees Fahrenheit. U use either a blow pipe or a punty
rod to gather glass from the furnace. Then I will pick up cold
colored glass from the marver or from coffee cans. The glass is then
heated in the glory hole. A starter bubble is blown through the blow
pipe. More clear glass is gathered. The bubble is blown larger and
the bottom is flattened. I then gather a small bit of hot glass on
the punty rod. The bubble is transferred to the punty rod by
attaching it to the flattened bottom and cracking it away from the
blow pipe. The glass is heated in the glory hole and shaped in to
some sort of vessel. The piece is tapped off of the puntyrod and
gloves are used to put it in the annealing oven.”
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