Dan Jennings sculpts a large solid glass bowl in the Swedish style

Dan Jennings first discovered glass in 1998, when he happened to walk by the glass studio at Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT), where he was thinking of exploring architecture. He was intrigued, and having already received a B.A. in International Relations from American University, he pursued and was awarded an M.A. in Glass from RIT in 2001.

Following his studies with Michael Taylor at RIT, Jennings moved to Washington, where he worked at the renowned Pilchuck Glass School for 5 years. There he blew glass with well-known glass blowers from around the world and ran Pilchuck’s wood shop, metal shop and glass casting shop.

After Pilchuck, he worked at the Worchester Center for Crafts, first as an artist-in-residence and later as the head of the glass department.

Since RIT, Jennings has been developing a body of work that he continues to this day. His bowls are his own take on a Swedish style of glassmaking that he first learned from Joon Kim, who was a year ahead of him at RIT. Working with layers of glass and color on a large pontil rod, his pieces are not blown, but rather sculpted to form a thick, heavy bowl form with fantastic optic qualities.

Jennings took a long hiatus from glass in 2008 to raise his son as a stay-at-home father, though he maintained a smaller client list. He currently works in fabrication at a large architectural lighting firm, and creates bowls on commission here at The Glass Station. He lives in Barrington, RI, with his wife, Jamie, and children Lilian and Clyde.

Green and Light Blue Swedish Bowl