Glass blowing is one of the most PHYSICALLY demanding forms of art glass. STRENGTH is needed to heave the weight of the molten glass on the end of the pipe. DEXTERITY is necessary in shaping the glass with jacks and blocks. And through it all there is the need to ENDURE the intense heat of the furnace, glory-hole, and the molten glass as it is worked. All these things attest to the fact that glass blowing takes WORK. In all the years I've worked in the glass industry both as an artist and as a writer, I've seen few artists who illustrate these qualities better than Rick Strini.

Rick's work is the product of exactly that: work-hard work-to be more precise. As an artist he has created thousands of complex and intricate pieces all by hand, and to the amazement of his collectors and peers, he has done much of this on his own, without the use of shaping molds and assistants.

Strini began his career as a glass artist at the age of sixteen in his parent's backyard. "I was a potter and really involved in the local pottery scene," explains Strini, "I was preparing to go to college, and wanted to teach." Rick's parents didn't mind at all that their son built a hot glass shop at their home. "They were very encouraging, and really supportive of the arts."