Retro Christmas Trees

About the Chris Belleau

Glass has enchanted and challenged Chris Belleau ever since he picked up his first blowpipe at the University of Wisconsin, Madison in 1981. Born and raised in Wisconsin, Chris moved to Providence, RI in 1987 to share a studio with a friend. Chris loved his line of work and felt lucky to be able to make a decent living doing just that. Recently, Chris was able to purchase a building to create a studio which is now truly his own, and employs several assistants.

Chris’s work is inspired by nature and the nature of glass.  When he arrives at the studio, the ovens and furnaces are usually smoking hot and ready to go. A typical workday may begin with an image in Chris’s mind being rendered in chalk on the floor, outlining a shape he would like to create. These drawings help communicate and figure out how to make whatever it is he is attempting. Chris often spends an entire day making only one type of object, be it flowers, fish, vases, paperweights or something completely different. His creative process involves varying the design, colors and techniques until he finally ends up with a product he is reasonably happy with. With these endless variations, he refines his methods and hones the skills needed to make his pieces, evolving and potentially improving with each rendition. 

Chris has been making his own colored glass for many years. By adding various metal oxides to the raw glass, he gets to play with a unique palette of colors in addition to several hundred commercially available colors. Chris rarely measures anything, relying on his experience to add just the right amount of colorant. Things do not always come out as expected, so he adapts the process and goes with the flow!