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Living His Dream
Written By: Donna Rhodes | Issue: 2015/12 - December
“It’s funny how things get started,” says John Phillips, owner of Fire and Light Glass Studio in Otto, North Carolina. “We lived in an older home in Duluth, Georgia, and decided we wanted some stained glass windows. So in 1981 I took a stained glass class. I got addicted, so much so, that when we moved to North Carolina, I set up a glass-making studio, Fire and Light.”
Today he does mostly glass fusing.
“In 1983 I took a fusing class at Arrowmont,” he says. “After that class everything I saw was in the context of glass – colors, melting possibilities, glow, shine, and texture. I was enraptured with glass surfaces and the depth they convey.”
Doing led to teaching. Now he has a steady stream of students working at all levels making ornaments, plates, vessels, sculptures, jewelry, and whatever items the medium will allow.
Phillips has 13 kilns ranging from a small jewelry kiln to one that will accommodate three-by-four feet. Temperatures get up to 1,600 degrees. When I asked how many blisters he had, he replied, “None. You learn real fast not to touch hot glass.”
Phillips loves every aspect of glasswork.
He says, “I still get a rush when I see it. When different colors mingle you get different effects. When it’s hot it’s one color. When it cools, it’s different. When you open that kiln every morning it’s like
Christmas time.”
You can see it in his eyes and hear it in his voice…he is one of those lucky people who is living his dream.
Phillips is available to do all kinds of custom art glass. He often works with designer Debra Green of Franklin for special installs.
Visit fireandlightglass.com to see his work or go to his FaceBook page, fireandlightglass, to see his students’ work. See what you can do, too!
You’ve probably passed Fire and Light Studio dozens of times on your way to Atlanta. The address is 9788 Georgia Road, Otto, North Carolina, 28763. Winter hours are 10:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. He’s closed Wednesdays and Sundays. The studio can be reached at (828) 349-4505.
