About The Artist
Julie Erlon - Artisan Lampworker
Growing up in Minnesota, I loved to spend hours in the fields, searching for agates, studying the wildflowers, and drawing the pristine landscapes. Biology, horticulture, and art were my interests coming out of high school; but while examining options for college, my parents directed me to the obscure field of Scientific Glass-blowing. I immediately found it intriguing.
I attended a tiny New Jersey community college, which was offering the only two year Scientific Glassblowing program in the country. When I first struck the torch and began manipulating the glass, I realized I had discovered the perfect balance of art and science. Instructor Joseph Luisi, a 40 year veteran of the trade, made it look effortless. I struggled to make each seal merely functional, let alone “beautiful” as Luisi emphasized.
After many interesting job opportunities, including a detour away from glassblowing, I found myself retrained and relocated as a computer technician in Central Texas, where I currently reside. While I occasionally fired up my own glassblowing torch, what was once a profession had become a mere hobby. But, in 1997, realizing that I had strayed too far from my original passion, I left corporate America to explore the world of artistic glass. After experimenting with stained glass, kiln fired glass, and even soft glass Moretti beads, I began to apply my scientific skills to creating and honing my own style.
I have always appreciated form and function, so many of my early endeavors included wedding cake tops and bells, nite lites, goblets, and wine bottle stoppers. I still make these on a limited basis, but over the course of 23 years I have consistently made an annual ornament, which mostly have flora or fauna as the subject matter, along with a splash of whimsy! Thanks for looking at my collections, and I hope they
bring you a bit of joy for the particular season.