Eamon King 
Glass Artist

The intense heat, glow and shape of molten glass has been luring Toledo, Ohio, artist Eamon King since he first watched glass being worked as a child. His work has been influenced by glass from all over the world, from high school classes at the Toledo Museum of Art to workshops with Maestros of Murano, Italy.

Eamon was asked to create a piece interpreting MTS’s The Art Of MTS project. He found the possibilities of exploring furniture design intriguing, especially the challenge of working with glass while creating a comfortable looking design that captures the art of seating. Eamon created two chairs: one was modified from an MTS barstool with a cast seat and chair back and flame worked feet. All of the glass components were then carved and lights were hidden in the frame to illuminate and highlight the carved glass. The other is an original design created entirely out of flame worked and cast glass elements that were cut and carved.

“I like to focus on forms and textures in my work,” he explains. “With some glass, color can be too much or can distract from the work. For these chairs, I wanted the focus to be on the design and carving.

“This project really made me think about creating comfortable designs. Plus, the cold working provided a way to create a visual texture with similar repeating patterns.  The cold working of these chairs shows a strong resemblance to much of the work I create." 

In addition to his artistic career, Eamon is an instructor at the Toledo Museum of Art in flame working and furnace working. He teaches high school glass classes for the Toledo School for the Arts, and works with other Museum outreach programs. Eamon’s work is in many private collections and for sale through Toledo-area galleries and at the Museum Store located in the Toledo Museum of Art.