Thomas Spake

A fter 20 years of working with glass, I have learned to approach the material from the perspective of a painter and a sculptor. The fluid nature of glass lends itself to be stretched and drawn across the surface to create a kind of brush stroke, like that of a painter. The ability to grind, engrave, and etch the surface of the glass, lends the material to be sculpted, creating layers of colors, revealing unseen patterns, and creating marks that allow light to dance across the surface of the glass. I find inspiration in the subtle yet mysterious beauty of our natural world. This beauty can be found in so many different places upon our planet, from the sandy ocean floor, to mountainous peaks and from the sublime desert to mossy Forests. I find glass to be a very impressionable material, and it has the ability to be transparent, translucent or opaque, giving it the capacity to mimic the world around us; water, clouds, rocks, forests, mountains...

Thomas began blowing glass in 1994, and graduated from Centre College with a Bachelor of Art degree. His work quickly developed a sculptural edge with a focus of interpreting the natural world whether through the pattern on the surface or recreating a natural object or creature. Moving to Chattanooga in 2000, Thomas began to explore an interest in public art, creating, "Maze of Light" located in the Bluff View Art District in 2001 and "Birth of Light" located in Highland Park in 2005. Another highlight for Spake has been to be highlighted in the Jellies: Living Art exhibit, 2009-2012 at the Tennessee Aquarium, featuring his hand sculpted glass Jellyfish. Thomas also feels that education is a key element to germinating a rich art community and teaches workshops out of his studio, find out more at thomasspakestudios.com