William Morris is a prominent American glass artist. Born in Carmel, California in 1957, Morris was educated at California State University in Chico, California as well as Central Washington University in Ellensburg Washington. In 1978, Morris pursued glassblowing, working as a driver at Pilchuck Glass School in trade for tuition. At Pilchuck his talent was quickly recognized, leading him to work with Dale Chihuly, who founded the school, as his chief gaffer in the 1980’s. Morris remained with Chihuly for 10 years. In Chihuly’s studio Morris worked with the resistance of glass; how far it could be pushed as a material before it tears, how cold it could get before breaking.
This type of dialogue with the material is one that he continued as he started his own studio, and developed his own artistic style of glassblowing. Morris’ work is as unique conceptually as the techniques used. His work is a commentary on “culture” in and of itself, absent of geographical influence. He references the earliest depictions of human culture; petroglyphs, hieroglyphs, early tools, and indigenous artifacts to abstract the universal truths of humanity. His works tap into the primal experience of what it is to be human, a sense of connection with the greater whole, invoking a sense of ancient wisdom.
Not only known for subject matter, but for his use of various treatments to the surface of glass achieving textural diversity, Morris made his works either seem ancient, made of stone, or even wood. His Petroglyph series, in particular, was created by rolling molten blown glass over drawings made of powdered glass and minerals. Gold leaf was added on the surface as well creating even more textural diversity. He would often utilize etching as well as acid washing to create similar effects.
Morris took advantage of the full spectrum of possibilities available in the medium of glass. He achieved much success during his career and retired at 50 years old, in 2007. He spent over 25 years honing skills and shifting the world's understanding of what could be achieved with glass.