Artist Biography
Peter Connell is an artist with a wide rage of knowledge in the art field. Peter has a bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts from the Ringling School of Art & Design and has explored many artistic expressions including painting, sculpting, ceramics, bronze casting, and welding. After graduation, Peter worked as a metalchaser for the well recognized foundry, Bronze Art. He welded everyday for two years until a serious skateboarding accident turned his life upside down. He was devastated and with a year of recovery ahead of him Peter started to look for new career opportunities. His focus and passion were in welding and the freedom of working with a flame; naturally he found glassblowing.
After his recovery in 1999, Peter rented a small studio where he began to teach himself and explore the possibilities of this new, malleable material. He found endless possibilities in the incredible medium. The material is mutable and changed shape with the touch of a flame, just like welding, but is much lighter than steel. Peter was hooked and immediately knew he had found his artistic calling.
For the past 7 years, Peter has taken several classes aiding him in his journey to understanding the possibilities and limitations of glass. Instruction from Loren Stump, Robert Mickelson, and several other accomplished glass artists helped Peter refine his technique and find his niche as a glass artist.
After attending classes at Penland School of Crafts in Western North Carolina, Peter felt a strong attraction to the mountains. In 2002 he relocated to Boone, NC where he owns a glass art gallery and still blows glass everyday.