rich fizer fort myers, fl
Born in Chillicothe, Ohio in 1969, Rich Fizer received his BFA in Glass from Georgia Southwestern State University in 1993 and his MFA in Glass and Fine Art at Bowling Green State University with a full scholarship, in 1995. From 1995 to the present Fizer has maintained a Hot Glass Studio in Southwest Florida, creating fine art glass that is collected around the world.
His unique combination of vibrant colors and large organic shapes has become the trademark of this contemporary artists’ work. The molten glass becomes controlled chaos at the hands of this master glassblower.
Fizer stays on the cutting edge of the American glass movement, continuously challenging himself while experimenting with his “larger than life” organic style of working with a hot medium. He was among the first glassblowers to ever use tin snips as a tool to cut a 2200 degree gather of molten glass.
Blowing glass requires an artist with a rare combination of physical strength and intense energy who is able to think fast and create in an extremely hot environment. Rich Fizer is one of these artists. He masterfully uses gravity, centrifugal force and physical manipulation to create his large organic glass vessels, shells, waves and waterfalls. The blending of layered colors on the transparent medium, the use of texture to capture the reflecting light and the spontaneous energy Fizer employs while blowing, allows the glass to manifest itself into beautiful organic shapes captured in time.
Fizer is not a newcomer to the art world. He has spent his entire life teaching, creating, painting and exploring a wide variety of Medias. He is inspired by music and art and life’s simple everyday experiences.
“Water inspires me and rejuvenates my spirit. The natural beauty of the world, the crashing of waves, waterfalls frozen in time, these are the things that help me stay creative,” stated Fizer.
Fizer creates everything from colorful hand blown vessels and bowls to mixed media sculptures where he incorporates copper into his pieces.
Fizers’ Wave Series is incredible. He manipulates the hot glass with scissors and large tongs to form the curved shell shape which becomes the base of the piece then he manipulates the lip to look like a wave. The striations of the glass create different color patterns to make this stunning piece of art.
His Landscape and Abstract Nude Sculpture Series were made by hand forging copper shapes then pouring a glass overlay to create this cast glass work. His Mermaid Madonna Series was made by carving a sand mould and casting it in molten glass.
His “Waterfalls” series, is a group of large free flowing glass sculptures where Fizer actually draped different layers of molten glass over suspended copper wire. “I am trying to emulate the movement of water flowing freely in space, frozen like ice on a waterfall in winter.
Lately Fizer has been creating large multi piece wall scapes with his signature hand blown fish and organic glass bowls, plates and unusual shapes to mimic beautiful lifesize underwater scenes.
Richard Fizer’s work can be found in galleries and shops all over the United States. He demonstrates and teaches workshops in hot glass studios worldwide and has recently been featured at the Morean Art Center in St. Petersburg, Florida in their glass gallery and in their 2014 Calendar.
The Dance
The dance consists of gathering molten glass on the end of a heavy steel pipe, touching the glass glob to small pieces of color and pigment which adhere to the clear gather, while constantly spinning the pipe to maintain the shape of the piece. The glass starts out about 2300 degrees but cools quickly so it has to be constantly reheated in the “glory hole” or by the use of big torches. All the while keeping the pipe spinning
The artist has to move from the furnace, to the stand where he uses various tin snips, scissors, wooden paddles, water soaked paper coated gloves and other special tools to cut and shape the piece along the way. Then to the glory hole to bring the glass back up to working temperature. Back to the stand where he blows into the end of the pipe to create the airflow to enlarge the shape, sometimes using a torch to reheat the piece.
Then back to the furnace to gather more glass to add another layer of color or to enlarge the piece. And the dance continues. Over and over again until the desired shape, size and coloration is satisfactory to the artist. The finale is an explosive wide spin around the head of the artist to allow the molten glass shape to open into the shape that the artist has visualized in his head.
It’s beautiful, hot and exhausting to watch as a bystander. In the end an exquisite form starts to emerge and the observer is completely enchanted by the experience.
The finished piece is then placed in a large oven or kiln where it is slowly cooled for anywhere from a day to a week depending on its size.
He makes one last visit to the glory hole and with a final flourish; a thin vase suddenly expands outward into a stunning bowl, while practiced swings create the wavy edge which has become his trademark
His unique combination of vibrant colors and large organic shapes has become the trademark of this contemporary artists’ work. The molten glass becomes controlled chaos at the hands of this master glassblower.
Fizer stays on the cutting edge of the American glass movement, continuously challenging himself while experimenting with his “larger than life” organic style of working with a hot medium. He was among the first glassblowers to ever use tin snips as a tool to cut a 2200 degree gather of molten glass.
Blowing glass requires an artist with a rare combination of physical strength and intense energy who is able to think fast and create in an extremely hot environment. Rich Fizer is one of these artists. He masterfully uses gravity, centrifugal force and physical manipulation to create his large organic glass vessels, shells, waves and waterfalls. The blending of layered colors on the transparent medium, the use of texture to capture the reflecting light and the spontaneous energy Fizer employs while blowing, allows the glass to manifest itself into beautiful organic shapes captured in time.
Fizer is not a newcomer to the art world. He has spent his entire life teaching, creating, painting and exploring a wide variety of Medias. He is inspired by music and art and life’s simple everyday experiences.
“Water inspires me and rejuvenates my spirit. The natural beauty of the world, the crashing of waves, waterfalls frozen in time, these are the things that help me stay creative,” stated Fizer.
Fizer creates everything from colorful hand blown vessels and bowls to mixed media sculptures where he incorporates copper into his pieces.
Fizers’ Wave Series is incredible. He manipulates the hot glass with scissors and large tongs to form the curved shell shape which becomes the base of the piece then he manipulates the lip to look like a wave. The striations of the glass create different color patterns to make this stunning piece of art.
His Landscape and Abstract Nude Sculpture Series were made by hand forging copper shapes then pouring a glass overlay to create this cast glass work. His Mermaid Madonna Series was made by carving a sand mould and casting it in molten glass.
His “Waterfalls” series, is a group of large free flowing glass sculptures where Fizer actually draped different layers of molten glass over suspended copper wire. “I am trying to emulate the movement of water flowing freely in space, frozen like ice on a waterfall in winter.
Lately Fizer has been creating large multi piece wall scapes with his signature hand blown fish and organic glass bowls, plates and unusual shapes to mimic beautiful lifesize underwater scenes.
Richard Fizer’s work can be found in galleries and shops all over the United States. He demonstrates and teaches workshops in hot glass studios worldwide and has recently been featured at the Morean Art Center in St. Petersburg, Florida in their glass gallery and in their 2014 Calendar.
The Dance
The dance consists of gathering molten glass on the end of a heavy steel pipe, touching the glass glob to small pieces of color and pigment which adhere to the clear gather, while constantly spinning the pipe to maintain the shape of the piece. The glass starts out about 2300 degrees but cools quickly so it has to be constantly reheated in the “glory hole” or by the use of big torches. All the while keeping the pipe spinning
The artist has to move from the furnace, to the stand where he uses various tin snips, scissors, wooden paddles, water soaked paper coated gloves and other special tools to cut and shape the piece along the way. Then to the glory hole to bring the glass back up to working temperature. Back to the stand where he blows into the end of the pipe to create the airflow to enlarge the shape, sometimes using a torch to reheat the piece.
Then back to the furnace to gather more glass to add another layer of color or to enlarge the piece. And the dance continues. Over and over again until the desired shape, size and coloration is satisfactory to the artist. The finale is an explosive wide spin around the head of the artist to allow the molten glass shape to open into the shape that the artist has visualized in his head.
It’s beautiful, hot and exhausting to watch as a bystander. In the end an exquisite form starts to emerge and the observer is completely enchanted by the experience.
The finished piece is then placed in a large oven or kiln where it is slowly cooled for anywhere from a day to a week depending on its size.
He makes one last visit to the glory hole and with a final flourish; a thin vase suddenly expands outward into a stunning bowl, while practiced swings create the wavy edge which has become his trademark
