Art Glass Vases by Victor Chiarizia

Since 1975 Victor Chiarizia has explored many facets of glassmaking, including blown, flameworked, cast, etched and sandblasted. Today, Chiarizia’s sculptural works express his thoughts about life, growth and renewal in art glass comprised of two distinctive techniques—hot glass and flameworked glass with vitreous fired-on enamels. Profound images from Chiarizia’s Italian-American background coupled with a boundless imagination give an earthy yet surreal style to much of his sculptural work.

Chiarizia’s glass is well-known for its technical innovations, organic forms and spirited colorations.  His most acclaimed work includes The Botanicals, a series of sculptures with flameworked glass which is treated with multiple applications of enamels to give luster and luminosity to the vines, blossoms, fruit, human hands, and other elements that cling to amorphous hot glass vessels. The Legends and Icons Series also incorporates these techniques along with cast glass elements representing mythical, spiritual or cultural characters which are nestled into lush, clinging vines or stoic ancient tombs. Through their vivid imagery, this body of work illustrates the eternal cycle of life, death and rebirth.

Chiarizia also creates limited-edition vessels and sculptures which demonstrate an exceptional use of Incalmo, a 500 year-old Venetian technique that requires the artist to create cup-shape vessels which are then connected to one another on the blow pipe. Incalmo and reverse incalmo are complex and physically demanding processes for even the most experienced glassblowers. Chiarizia uses this unique technique to produce large vertical and diagonal bands of color within a vessel. Another series he has created is the Volcanics, with sand-carved and etched surfaces that reveal deeply organic textures and colorations upon a Pate de Verre base.

• The Studio at the Corning Museum of Glass / CORNING, NY
• Haystack School of Crafts / DEER ISLE, ME
• Salem College / PENNSGROVE, NJ

• 2004 New Glass Review 25
• 23rd Annual Habitat Glass Invitational Jurors Award
• Museum of Art and Design
• 2001 & 2002 NICHE Awards for Excellence in Flameworked Glass

• Ritz Carlton Hotel / CHARLOTTE, NC
• Four Seasons Hotel / DENVER, CO
• The Terraces / NAPLES, FL
• The Palace Hotel / BEIJING
• Absolute Vodka / TEANECK, NJ
• Royal Caribbean / LONDON, UK
• Herald Examiner Building / LOS ANGELES, CA
• Sandwich Glass Museum / SANDWICH, MA
• The Smithsonian / WASHINGTON, DC
• Heublein Corporation / FARMINGTON, CT
• St. Thomas Cathedral / NEW YORK, NY
• AT&T / NEW YORK, NY
• St. Ignatius Church / NEW YORK, NY
• The Frick Collection / NEW YORK, NY
• Tiffany’s / NEW YORK, NY
• Bulgari /NEW YORK, NY
• Morgane Le Fay Fashion House / NEW YORK, NY
• Barney’s / NEW YORK, NY

• Creative Glass / Schiffer Publishing
• The Penland Book of Glass / Lark Books
• 500 Glass Objects / Lark Publishing
• Contemporary Glass:  Color, Light & Form / Guild Publishing
• Formed of Fire / Salusa Glassworks
• Flameworking by Elizabeth Mears / Lark Books
• Flame working: Creating Glass Beads, Sculptures & Functional Objects /Lark Books
• Contemporary Lampworking Vol. 1 / Salusa Glassworks
• Carolina Home and Garden (Featured Artist) / MAY 2011
• The Laurel of Asheville (Featured Artist) / MARCH 2011
• Carolina Home and Garden / FALL 2008
• The Laurel of Asheville (Featured Artist) / JANUARY 2008
• Bold Life (Featured Artist) / JULY 2006
• NEW GLASS REVIEW 25 / 2004
• ArtisticFX Magazine (Featured Artist) / NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2003
• The Philadelphia Inquirer / NOVEMBER 15, 2003
• American Style Magazine (Featured Artist) / SUMMER 2002
• NICHE Magazine for Craft Retailers / WINTER & SPRING 2002, WINTER & SPRING 2001
• The Hartford Courant / NOVEMBER 2000 and 1994
• California Visitor Review / OCTOBER 20, 2000
• NICHE Magazine / SUMMER 2000 and SUMMER 1999
• The Boston Globe Magazine / DECEMBER 5, 1999
• The Crafts Report / SEPTEMBER 1999
• Glitter / JANUARY 1999, AUGUST 1998, NOVEMBER 1997
• Collector’s Mart / DECEMBER 1998
• Cosmetic World / AUGUST 1998
• WRCH Radio / MARCH 1998
• WFSB News / FEBRUARY 1997
• Marilyn’s Ornament Report / MAY 1996