Biography

Michael Hatch

Biography

Michael was first introduced to glassworking in 1985 when he took an elective course at Virginia Commonwealth University. Michael was immediately drawn to the process of transforming molten glass into solid objects. Glassworking became his permanent elective as he completed his degree in Sociology and Anthropology. Students in the course were given little instruction, just a demo once a week by the professor, and twenty four hour access to the studio. Though Michael has taken a few workshops with skilled artists over the years, he is mostly self taught through the continued practice of experimentation and refinement. Through this circular process Michael has developed a variety of skills and techniques which allow him to make just about anything he can dream up. His style blends ancient Venetian techniques with the free wheeling attitude of the Studio Glass Movement to create a wide variety of one of a kind objects. He moves back and forth between blown and solid working to make functional and sculptural objects. The inspiration for some of Michael’s work is rooted in his surroundings including nature, social issues, and politics. Other works focus on the balance of color, pattern, and form. Michael continually push his boundaries with the material, exploring new techniques and developing the skills necessary to best express his ideas through molten glass