3 rivers glass beadmakers

Artist's Bio

Michael Mangiafico is a glass artist and teacher working in Pittsburgh, PA. He graduated with a BFA in glass art from Carnegie Mellon University in 1985, and has continued his education by attending as well as teaching glass art seminars across the U.S. In 1996 Michael built a glass studio FiG Studios – Forms in Glass. He designs, creates sculptures and craft items from glass by blowing, casting, torchworking, and coldworking. Michael’s forte is in making glass insects such as spiders, wasps, ants, scorpions and many others. FiG Studios has work in fine art galleries around the country.

Artist's Statement

I believe the art of glass craft is based in technique. Each task from gathering glass at the furnace and blowing a bubble, to gathering on a rod of glass at the torch and fashioning a marble; represent a world for the taking. Even my inspirations are based in process. In the daily grind of life from cooking, gardening, reading, teaching and dreaming, in these I find my muse. Just the task of observing, looking at nature, other artists, as well as those who came before me; not to mention watching what I am doing while I work, this molds me and shapes my art. For a while I used to think what I made defined who I was. That was just my ego talking. Now I found it doesn’t matter what I make, but how I make it that counts. By making something truly well it makes me.

Gallery