Richard Marquis

Richard Marquis has had an extraordinary influence on the development of contemporary studio glass in America and around the world. While studying at the University of California, Berkeley, during the 1960s, he explored ceramics and was introduced to glassblowing. Unsatisfied with the limited techniques practised in America at the time, Marquis travelled to the island of Murano, near Venice, to observe and work with the masters of glassblowing.

Marquis has demonstrated and taught throughout the United States, Europe, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand. The impact of Venetian glassblowing techniques on American studio glass allowed artists to expand their technical vocabularies and, combined with new and experimental approaches, led to the redefinition of glass as an artistic medium.

As an artist, Marquis is admired for his understanding of colour and form, as well as for his humour and constant experimentation. As a glassblower, he has influenced an entire generation of artists working in glass who aspire to his technical mastery and the originality of his voice.