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Peter Vanderlaan

b. 1950

BiographyPeter Vanderlaan was born in Boston in 1950. He has been working with glass since a teenager. In 1967, he moved to New Mexico and attended St. John's College. In 1970, Vanderlaan left St. John's to pursue an apprenticeship in studio glassblowing that has led to a lifelong career.

Peter has a unique partnership with his wife, Mary Beth Bliss, which began in 1979. They explore both collaborative and independent designs in glass. Her designs, coupled with Vanderlaan's vast knowledge of the material, produced a series of daring examples that push the limits of this amazing fluid called glass.

The Optical Glass Series has been both a challenge and an amusement for the couple, who spent many years exploring and experimenting this unique material. It was initially derived from some of Peter's earlier sculptures. The optical glass is made up of imported lead crystals and borosilicates developed for the optical industry. The sculptures are begun with small pieces that have painted and etched sides. Those pieces are then laminated together, actually building the form from the inside out. Once Peter has achieved the desired shape, usually a large cube, the piece is ground and polished. The result is an extensive prismatic sculpture that uniquely reflects and refracts light. The Optical Series sculptures are one-of-a-kind and are produced in highly limited groupings.

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