Brothers Tate and Aaron of 2Bglass may be the youngest hot glass studio owners in the nation, but they’re not ones to rest on their laurels. They continue creating sharp, functional works of art—bottles, bowls, glasses, cremation keepsakes, and more—that bring inspiration and legacy to the homes they reside in.

The speed, methodical nature, and sense of fulfillment from being craftsmen, [and knowing] no two pieces will ever be the same.

How did you develop your artistic skills?
Tate took a glassblowing class and immediately found his calling. I (Aaron) wasn’t immediately passionate about glass, but Tate was persuasive, and I couldn’t pass up a challenge. Together, we worked at a glassblowing studio in Berkeley and took classes at Pilchuck Glass School and Penland School of Craft. We also traveled to Italy and learned from maestros, modern enthusiasts, and many extraordinary students, colleagues, and friends.

What are you currently working on?
We just completed four new product lines that are currently in the photography stage and will be on our website soon!

How do you avoid artists’ block?
We have the exact opposite problem between the three of us (including our co-owner and designer, Ash Koss). Creativity is not sparse—practicality, however, is a different story.

Where can your art be found?
Etsy, Facebook, Chairish, Artfulhome, and on our website.

Pulling from diverse influences—ranging from classic art and the Impressionist movement to nature, mid-century modern design, and punk rock, to name a few—Trisa creates both functional art (cheese plates, bowls, and tables) as well as decorative wall art and jewelry.

[The] incredible colors and the way [glass] plays with light.

Sometimes experimentation is catastrophic and magical! (Mistakes can actually blow up!) I’ve been working in glass since 2014 and enrolled in a class at Rainbow Glass in Sacramento. I’ve been lucky enough to take classes from top instructors throughout the country.

I’m busy in my studio, as I gear up for this year’s Placer Artists Studios Tour from November 11-13 and 18-20. I plan on showcasing a large selection of my funky, one-of-a-kind jewelry along with my contemporary wall pieces.

I go into my studio and start organizing. The left and right brain are stimulated by this task, and it works every time!

Hannah and Alana of Nicholson Van Altena Glass both graduated from UCSC with degrees in art and anthropology. After spending time abroad, they began a five-year internship under Rick and Janet Nicholson of Nicholson Blown Glass and developed a passion for the unique process of manipulating molten glass. Drawing inspiration from the flora, fauna, rivers, and mountains of Northern California, they focus on developing work with intention and humility that has a natural flow.

What attracts you to glassblowing?
We both enjoy the challenge, the intensity of the heat, the need for deep focus, and the alluring glow of the material itself. Freehand blown glass can’t be replicated exactly and that keeps the challenge alive.

How did you develop your artistic skills?
As Montessori students in our early age, we grew up surrounded by artists. We’ve [taken] various classes, including creative writing, photography, painting, and ceramics, as well as visual culture and anthropology classes that sparked our interest in the art and artifacts found in many different societies.

What are you currently working on?
Further developing our metal and glass sculptures as well as our color application techniques.

How do you avoid artists’ block?
Luckily, there are two of us, which can make it easier to work through creative blocks. We try to weave inspirational moments into our weekly life through reading and spending time outdoors.

Where can your art be found?
High Hand Gallery in Loomis and at our home in Auburn, which is open by appointment.

Creating fused glass sculptures (shown in galleries throughout the U.S., private residences, and internationally) and carved glass jewelry, Diane’s work often arrives in the form of faces, nature, and spiral movement. In addition to creating, the artist also teaches metal and glass art at charter schools and is a fused glass instructor at Sierra College.

What attracts you to glass?
The transparency of colors of glass with light. 

How did you develop your artistic skills?
I have a background in ceramics, a degree in fine art, and studied under Dan Fenton (the godfather of fused glass). I also went to several workshops in the U.S. and Europe to fine-tune my glasswork.

What are you currently working on?
Art for gardens and glass castings where I’m planning to use metal frames and work glass within the design.

How do you avoid artist’s block?
I have a project book with countless drawings and am always seeing designs and projects in my mind.

Where can your art be found?
Northauburnartists.com, along with showings at SpringHill Suites in Auburn.

Patrick has had a love affair with glass most of his life. After dabbling in stained glass, he started exploring the world of hot glass. His one-of-a-kind glass art and hand-blown glass lamps have been recognized in numerous juried shows and can be found in respected galleries throughout the country.

What attracts you to glassblowing?
I tried many other mediums, but none of them spoke to me the way glass did.

How did you develop your artistic skills?
After college, I worked in private studios in San Francisco, then moved to Sacramento and worked in a studio for three years. I also received a grant to sit on a volcano in Hawaii to blow glass and [later returned] to build my own studio.

What are you currently working on?
I don’t blow glass when it’s over 100 degrees, so I turn the furnace off over the summer. I’ll [start again] this month.

How do you avoid artists’ block?
I view what others have done in the past 3,000 years or so. You must put your own vision to [what’s already been done].

Where can your art be found?
On my website and at The Artery in Davis.