Today we’d like to introduce you to Robert Lee Fritz.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I first worked with molten glass in 1971 at Illinois State University which as luck would have it was during the beginning of the American Studio Glass movement. When I came to the Chicago area in 1974, there were no glass studios at all. I started my studio in 1975 and began showing work in Chicago area galleries and art shows. I was fortunate to be included in two of the early Corning Museum of Glass yearly reviews of the top 100 glass pieces in the world. Since then I have been included in the Kanazawa Japan International Glass Review, the Tokyo Crafts Expo, and had work collected by the Glasmuseum Schiedam in Denmark.
I enjoy trying every process that can be used to manipulate glass and so besides blowing glass I have done pieces using casting, fusing, slumping, laser etching, and carving.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Since there were no other glass studios in the Chicago area and very few around the country, obtaining a glass medium with which I could work was one of the initial problems. I ended up connecting with the Zenith factory in Melrose Park and for the first 10+ years used the imperfect front panels of their televisions.
As with any new business which had to be started with virtually no money in hand, I had to learn how to do many tasks that were new to me… electrical, gas piping, build glass equipment, and create a structure in which to house the studio.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
I believe that my work stands the test of time. I create artwork which tells stories – about family, journeys, relationships. I feel that it is honest and is not done to simply to follow a current style. I enjoy working on commissions that become a portrait of the intended recipient, a special occasion, or a commemoration of an important life event.
What were you like growing up?
I grew up in a family of classical musicians. Through learning to play piano and the cello, I came to appreciate that I could take a difficult task and master it. It gave me the realization that with a little time and effort I could accomplish what I set out to do.
I have always loved being outdoors. My family took numerous camping vacations around the country where I was able to appreciate the incomparable national park system in our country. I also fondly remember visiting my grandparent’s farm in Kentucky – and being encouraged to play outside and create things. One of my first truly “Art” experiences involved spending an entire day with one of my brothers in the barn carving the sweet potatoes, which my grandfather grew, into small figures and then expanding those people into entire environments – villages with houses, a lake, and numerous accouterments such as hats, fishing poles, tools, animals.
Pricing:
- Most of my work is in the $75 – $1200 range.
Contact Info:
- Address: 636 Rochdale Circle,
Lombard, IL 60148 - Website: www.freeblownglass.com
- Phone: 630-945-2813 (cell) | 630-495-4276 (studio)
- Email: freeblownglass@gmail.com
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