Meet Craig Sheehan | Glass Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Craig Sheehan and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Craig, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
In a weird way I think it pursued me. For most of my life, I tried finding fulfillment by pursuing many varied careers, Beekeeper in the Peace Corps, Optician, Solar Panel Installer, owning a Home Weatherization business, to name a few. Looking back, I wouldn’t trade any of those life experiences. They helped me learn about myself, and by not exploring them, would have always made me wonder what would have happened if I had not done them. Pursuing a career as a glass artist never came onto to my radar until later in life, it sounds strange to say, but I’m still not sure how it happened exactly. It’s something that just sort of seeped into my consciousness that maybe had been waiting for the right time to reveal itself, and once I started, it just became something that gave me the inspiration and creative outlet that I had been searching for. Being an artist has added such an abundance of people and personal satisfaction to my life that I otherwise would have missed if I had never pursued it. When someone sends me a picture of one of my pieces in their home, I just get a great feeling of joy from that.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
The thing I’m most excited about right now in my work is making these pieces I call Fragment Vessels. I basically take perfectly good sheets of glass and smash them up into little shards which I then piece back together. The tops usually have this slightly ocean wave look that gives the piece a feeling of movement. The funny part is, the first one I made, I thought it was ruined because it was all bent up, but then I took it out of the kiln and thought it looked pretty cool.

There’s so many people who have helped me, to my friend who owned a small business and gave me space in her shop to sell my first pieces which gave me the confidence to apply for a spot in the Carolina Mountain Artists Guild. To some amazing teachers like Richard Parish who taught me multi colored design and my Glass Instructor and friend Deb Williams who encouraged me to apply for the spot in the Gallery I’m in now. I also have a very supportive partner in my life who gives me endless love and encouragement, without her, I would be lost when things get rough. I’ve been extremely lucky.

My Uncle also believed in me enough to give me seed money when I was first starting out to buy more equipment and glass, which was amazingly generous of him. It’s also really nice to have a brother who is also in the Arts, although we practice different mediums, he’s a painter, we share the common struggles of being an artist and its helpful to bounce ideas off each other.

My artistic journey, and I think I share this experience with many artists, is exciting, hard, frustrating, expensive, and very rewarding. The first two or three years were probably the hardest. I was learning, making lots of mistakes, wasting lots of glass, and making many ugly things. Looking back it almost seemed like some sort of intiation or test, like the Universe was seeing just how serious I was and if I would quit too soon.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
So many choices around Asheville NC.. When friends fly into town, the first thing we do is go straight to the Sierra Nevada Brewery. It’s almost right next to the airport and the beer and atmosphere are great.. Especially if it’s a nice day and we can sit on the back deck. This city is also nicknamed Beer City so there’s too many great breweries to list, but Highland Brewery would be another favorite. White Duck Taco would be a nice place to grab some great food on the way. If they’ve never been to Asheville before, it’s worth going onto the Biltmore Estate grounds to take a tour of the house and also visit the Arboretum to soak in the beauty of the place. This area is also known as the Land of Waterfalls so there’s many hikes to choose from including DuPont State Forest and Pisgah National Forest. If they’re into kayaking I would also take them to Devils Fork State Park on Lake Jocassee. In my opinion, It’s one of the most beautiful lakes around. There’s also some stunning wineries here, Marked Tree is a personal favorite for the view, friendly and knowledgeable staff and great wines. And last but certainly not least, I always take them to the River Arts District in Asheville, it’s where the Mark Bettis Gallery I’m in is located, but RAD is also home to many many talented artists and crafts people. It got hit hard by Hurricane Helene but many artists and galleries are also working very hard to make an amazing comeback.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I would have to give the most recognition and appreciation to my folks who graciously gave up half of their garage for my Studio space when I moved from Boston to North Carolina, and also for their unwavering support and encouragement of my art career. And to all my great friends and family who continually lift me up and cheer me on.

Website: https://www.markbettisgallery.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sheehan2405

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/craig.sheehan

Other: My personal website is HaywoodFallsglass.com

Image Credits
All pictures are owned by me.