Glass Eye Studio featured at Smith Galleries

Paperweight by Glass Eye

    Smith Galleries is known as the premier source for art glass on Hilton Head Island. The ornaments and paperweights of Glass Eye Studio have been a continuous focus of the gallery for many years.    
    Glass Eye Studio has designed and created exquisite handmade glass for more than 30 years. Through vibrant paperweights, innovative ornaments, functional bowls and vases, our family of glass artisans strives to pass to our customers the same marvel and appreciation that we have for blown glass.
    The process, from start to finish, creates the true beauty and mystery of glass. Applying immense heat to a mixture of mostly sand, glass evolves. Each individual piece begins by gathering a precise amount of glass on the end of a blowpipe or rod. To reach the desired look, the blowing team uses a wide array of color and materials. Many of Glass Eye Studio's designs require days of preparation before a single piece is even made. Manipulating the look of the glass, the blower shapes the molten mass with light but precise touches of manual tools. After a quick fire-polish, the product is slowly brought to room temperature over a period of days. Finally. and annealed solid piece is finished using diamond wheel grinders and polishing stones. The artisans at Glass Eye studios create each blown glass vase by hand. Use with your favorite flowers or display as art in your home. Each piece, all handmade, receive individual attention as it is carefully crafted into it's final form. The process itself is almost as amazing as the final product. Because each piece is handmade the color or size may vary and bubbles may appear in the glass. This is not a flaw but your assurance that each piece is handmade.

Glass Eye Studio in operation

    Glass Eye Studio pieces are hand made by skilled artisans at the Seattle studio. Glass colors are from Germany, New Zealand and some from China. The colors are manipulated in the Seattle studio to produce cane, murrini and stringers. These cane and murrini pieces are used to create wonderful and beautiful handmade glass paperweights, votive lights and ornaments.Glass Eye Studio creates some of America's finest art glass,including ash from Mount St. Helens in some of their pieces.
    Smith Galleries maintains a large selection of glass ornaments and paperweights from Glass Eye. The gallery is located in suite J11 of the Village at Wexford at 1000 William Hilton Parkway on Hilton Head Island. Gallery hours are 10 - 6 Monday through Saturday. 800.272.3870