Stoic
Stoic is a conceptual glassware project that captures the quiet tension of life lived under pressure — a study in balance, resilience, and transformation. Designed and fabricated at UrbanGlass in New York City, these pieces explores how fragility and strength coexist within a single form, using heat, force, and precision to shape the emotional qualities of the material.
Developed within an intensive studio setting, Stoic reflects hands-on experimentation with glassblowing, slumping, and surface treatments, pushing the boundaries of form while preserving the material’s ethereal presence. The project draws inspiration from stoicism as a lived philosophy — restraint, endurance, and calm under tension — made visible in glass through intentional stress lines, pressure-formed volumes, and subtle imperfections.
Process & Experimentation
Technical Process & Methods
Studio: UrbanGlass, Brooklyn, NYC 2019-2020
Techniques Explored:
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Glassblowing — forming hollow vessels under high heat using breath and rotational control
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Slumping — shaping through controlled gravitational collapse in a kiln
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Cold Working — sanding and polishing to refine edges and surfaces
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Surface Treatments — intentional stress mapping, sandblasting, and minimal coloring to reflect the tension theme
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Tooling — use of blowpipes, graphite paddles, jacks, annealing ovens, and molds
Each stage was treated as a controlled response to pressure, with intentional design choices reflecting both internal and external strain.
The result: vessels that appear calm, but hold visual tension in their folds, curves, and fissures.
Whispers of a Stoic
In a whimsical tale, this collection narrates the colorful journey of an evening’s vibrant descent towards the comical challenge of walking home in a straight line.
Trapped Whimsy
Within the walls of glass, moments rise like laughter — bubbles suspended mid-thought, as if memories tried to surface and got caught. This vessel captures the quiet joy of holding something light, fleeting, and beautifully imperfect — a toast to the tiny tensions that shimmer beneath the surface.
Stillness, Distorted
A vase that holds more than flowers — gathering light, bending shadow, distorting memory. Rippling with sun-soaked imperfections, it speaks to quiet resilience: beauty shaped by pressure, and clarity that holds warmth, color, and quiet rebellion.
Aurora, Glass Nights
A family of glass lamps inspired by the shifting moods and layered depths of the sea. Aurora glows with a quiet presence — capturing the colors of tide, moonlight, and memory. These lights don’t just illuminate a space — they immerse it in calm, evoking the soothing pulse of an underwater world.