I first discovered my love for glass back in high school, in a small jewelry class filled with silver scraps and soldering torches. That’s where I learned the basics of silversmithing—and where, tucked away in a dusty corner, sat an old, forgotten glass torch. Curiosity got the best of me, so I ordered a few glass rods and convinced my teacher to help me set up a tiny glass station right there in the classroom.

Once that torch lit up for the first time, something just clicked. A few weeks later, the whole class was hooked—everyone wanted to try their hand at melting glass and shaping it into something new. That moment sparked a lifelong fascination that would eventually grow into Oakwood Hotworks, my home studio dedicated to transforming raw glass into vivid, living art.

After years of experimenting with all kinds of crafts. I eventually found myself settled in the quiet woods of northern Wisconsin. Surrounded by nature and the calm rhythm of wildlife, I began creating copper and silver jewelry by hand. I spent long days shaping metal, learning patience through the process, and finding beauty in the little imperfections that came with each piece.

One afternoon, while sorting through old supplies, I stumbled upon a few dusty glass rods I’d saved from my high school jewelry class. It was like rediscovering a forgotten spark. I decided to pick up a simple HotHead torch, just to see if I still remembered how to melt and shape glass.

A couple of months (and a fair number of burned fingers) later, I upgraded to a GTT Phantom torch and began piecing together my first real glass shop. Slowly, the space came alive! Shelves of color rods, tools lined up, the soft hum of the shop filling the air. That’s where everything started to come together: the fire, the color, and the flow of molten glass all felt like the craft I had been searching for all along.

It quickly snowballed from simple soda lime beads and tiny sculptures to full borosilicate hollow work. I dove headfirst into learning every corner of glass artistry even stained glass! I started out selling on Etsy and at local craft shows, eventually building my own website to showcase all my functional creations. And the journey still continues…

"You can't force the glass to bend for you, let it flow and follow the lead" -Blake Mazzei