Fact No. 72. (Published on 3/22/2005)

William Morris

William Morris was born in 1957 in California and is widely considered to be one of the most gifted living glass artists.

He was introduced to Dale Chihuly in 1977, eventually became Chihuly's gaffer, and went on to start his own studio -- as well as train with many of the Italian masters.

Morris's body of work, which can be found in major collections worldwide, is largely comprised of hot-sculpted glass that is frequently finished with decidedly non-glass-like textures.

"In looking at Morris' art, we are reminded of what it is to be ancient, what it is to be human; we momentarily reconnect with that elemental aspect of our psyches that is prehistoric. This is the territory that Carl Jung termed the collective unconscious, a potent repository of meaning and experience. Beyond his technical brilliance in the craft of blowing and sculpting glass, it is Morris' ability to enter and work within the realm of the unconscious that makes him a superior artist." - Tina Oldknow, Curator of Modern Glass at the Corning Museum of Glass and co-author of "Animal/Artifact"

(Editor's note: Don't confuse the contemporary hot glass artist William Morris with the William Morris who was born in 1834 and who is famous for, among other things, wallpaper designs and stained glass windows.)

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