Daring To Create

Artist at work - Robert Burch creates hand-blown glass pieces in studios around the world.

Nomadic creative Robert Burch likes to push the boundaries of artistic expression. He’s both a fine artist and a tinker, and dabbles in many art forms, from skateboards to book covers and chandeliers. But his main focus—sculture—combines unexpected elements to make pieces that stand out, such as glass infused with metal or other natural materials to play on the fusion of delicacy and sturdiness. 

While some of the metal in his sculptures are shaped by hand, Burch also likes to imbue antiqued household items or natural materials into blown glass. For example, Burch fused vintage hammers to glass spheres, creating the illusion that the glass is ready to burst. 

(Left to right) Metal and glass sculpture; Cerulean Vase with Lock and Key, blown glass and found objects; Large Swinging Hammer No. 12, blown glass and found objects.

Locks and keys, he explains, are another favorite of his to incorporate. “Keys are the most intimate pieces of metal that we hang onto every day.” Glass artists, Burch says, tend to stick to using glass for delicate creations. “There’s a lot of runway to make really unique stuff by combining different mediums,” he explains. 

Something that makes Burch unique is his approach to the relationship between art and the artist. “Nowadays, the artist is the art. We’re past the point in history where art exists without you in it.” The edginess of his work reflects an adventurous and gutsy spirit. 

“Glass for me—at least at the beginning—was really exciting and a little bit dangerous at first,” he laughs. “For every hour I blow glass I spend an hour adventuring—rock climbing, surfing, or motorcycling around.”

From Sweden to India, Burch has travelled the world to study and show his work, but now he’s found a permanent mountain home in Sylva: a cabin he built himself with the help of YouTube tutorials. 

Ever since he was a boy experimenting with LEGO creations, Burch has had an interest in creating the unexpected. After working for an Atlanta glassblower in high school, Burch moved to Seattle to continue learning and creating glass art. He also received a degree in graphic design from the School of Visual Arts in New York.

(Left to right) handicraft Mobile & Glass rock cairn.

Since then, he’s amassed an impressive portfolio and an extensive regional curriculum vitae, including Asheville’s Blue Spiral 1 gallery and The Bascom Center in Highlands. Burch was also a competitor on Netflix’s Blown Away (a competition between American glassblowers for a prestigious residency)and collaborated with Chihuly Inc.’s color design team. 

Most extensively, he’s worked at the Jackson County Green Energy Park, a singularity unique shop that runs on local renewable energy. The art park sits on top of the county’s landfill and siphons the methane gas to power the glass, metal, and ceramics studios on site; it’s the only studio of its kind in the country. Burch has crafted there intermittently since he was 20; now in his 30s, the artist has considered the area home despite his travels over the years. 

The 3D Glass Gas Tank.

His newest works are on display at the newly-opened North Carolina Glass Center in Black Mountain. Burch is one of the first artists to exhibit there.

Following Hurricane Helene’s destruction in the area, Burch collected raw materials found after the storm to combine with glass, such as chainsawed wood from a fallen oak tree in his friend’s yard and rocks from creeks reshaped by flooding to create pieces. Memento of this Moment, a collection of works designed to create beauty from tragedy, opens in Black Mountain in mid-April. 
  
LEARN MORE
To learn more about Robert Burch, visit robertgburch.com.

NC GLASS CENTER
122 East State St., Black Mountain
Wednesday-Sunday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m
(828) 505-3552; ncglasscenter.org