Local artist shapes stories in glass

Sizelove works with a torch to create beautiful goblets, pendants and other glass-blown art like ornaments, perfume bottles and marbles -- all hand-blown with rich contrasting colors."The glass blowing I do is definitely artistic," Sizelove said. "The tools I use come from the scientific background but everything is artistic. ...

"I work at developing textures that defy the look of glass," Sizelove said. "I like (pieces) to look old and I'm exploring things that look like they are from an archaeological dig but still contemporary.

"I'd like my work to fit in a fine-craft category explaining elements in a way that makes pieces feel fresh and modern but pays homage to the traditional forms of glass," Sizelove said.

In 1995, Sizelove's interest in glass-blowing flared when he began learning flame work after graduating from the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design.

"I'm driven to create because of the complexity of the process and end aesthetic," he said. "I like for the figurative elements to offer allusions to stories without specificity."

Sizelove's art tells a story that is fluid and vivid, yet still unique and mystifying.

Sizelove has made pieces valued at $1,200 retail.

According to his Web site, he teaches individual and small-group workshops at his home studio in Richmond and other studios in the United States and Canada