Dennis McConnell

Dennis was born in Boulder, Colorado, but didn't stay there long. His father worked for General Motors so they moved often living in St. Louis, Minneapolis, Chicago and Detroit. He settled at the University of Wisconsin long enough to meet his wife and pick up a Bachelor of Science in Arts degree majoring in Ceramics. After a year of working on an advanced degree at Cranbrook Academy of Arts in Detroit, Michigan, Dennis took a break from schooling to work for a German machinery manufacturer. Travel became a recurring theme for Dennis, as his career gave him the opportunity to visit many parts of the United States and Europe. In addition to the exposure to different cultures and lifestyles, work with a German company taught valuable lessons about the importance of precision and technical expertise.

He never gave up on art, expressing his creativity through photography and wood work before finally discovering warm glass. Working with the color, texture, and light of glass in three dimensions has become an inspiration and a challenge for Dennis. His original works of art constantly attempt to stretch the limits of warm glass work.

Artist's Statement

Glass is a fabulous medium to work in because of it's limitless possibilities. It has great challenges with the disciplines and processes required to master the inherent properties of glass.

I like the precision you can achieve with glass forms but use depth and light to achieve a "dimension" in my work that can only be done with glass. I try to express a personal style that shows the transparent depth of the glass to tease the eye and trick the mind.

With the unique properties of glass, light is absorbed and reflected which gives it a fluidity and motion. My work is a partnership of spontaneity with an emphasis on structure and technique. I try to show simplicity with very close attention to detail, color and motion.