Designer Profile - Tom Rupnicki

Spheres of Color and Light by Tom Rupnicki

Tom RupnickiTom Rupnicki is the creative force behind LaSorgente Glass Studio, as artisan, glassblower, and conceptual designer. “My intention was to marry the healing effects of light, color and nature into a lasting, original piece of landscape art that can be enjoyed in gardens year-round, and for years to come” says Tom.

I first had the idea of introducing hand-blown glass into the landscape in 1999. I chose a spherical shape, because it is considered the most perfect form. A marriage of color and light, these spheres, are an ethereal presence in a garden, an object of beauty, a cause for meditation, and an extremely durable and practical landscape illuminator.

Color also generates a response in a viewer. The right combination and placement of colors can suddenly expand the palette and create an emotional experience – the kind of response one would expect, for example, when viewing Monet's "Water Lilies."

The color blends for the spheres result from my own reactions to color and light. The recipes have evolved over time and are kept only after having proven their impact—their ability to sing—in the garden.

Tom studied the art of glassblowing under master glass artisans at the Tyler School of Art in suburban Philadelphia and the Corning studio in New York. He studied ceramics at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia and holds a B.F.A. in Photography from Columbia College of Art in Chicago.