ED PENNEBAKER

Ed built his own furnaces, glory holes and annealers and some tools used in glassmaking. Glass is melted from the raw materials. Ed adds colorants like cobalt, iron, copper, and nickel to make batches of transparent colors. The latest color experiments have been made using silver, tin, zinc, and copper in a single batch called "Calcedonia". The heat treatment of the glass produces various colors that can be unpredictable. Some other colors are melted from "cullet", previously melted glass with the colorants already in the glass. Some of these cullets come from the old Southwestern Glass factory in Ft. Smith, Arkansas, some from just across the border in Oklahoma, and some from West Virginia glass factories.

“I derive much on my inspiration from the environment, especially the garden and the woods surrounding my home and studio. My sculptures relate to the environmental concerns, climate change, and nature.

My chandeliers and lighting belong to a contemporary line of the "decorative arts" that developed from the arts and crafts movement where craftsmanship is of the utmost importance. Striving for the "perfect object" is the goal of the craftsman/designer and working directly with the materials at hand provides the greatest satisfaction for me.”