Biography

Hugh Willa received a Bachelor in Science from the University of British Colombia in 2004, with an Honor’s specialization in Genetics. After two years in the industry working at the University of Washington, an intense desire to create led Hugh to the hot shop to blow glass. After a year of courses and part-time work Hugh became a full time glassworker in 2006. He started at the Seattle Glassblowing Studio (SGS). Today Hugh works for many different artists and continues to pursue the creation of his own art.

Seattle’s diverse group of glass artists has led to a quick education for Hugh. Classes from Scott Darlington, Kathy Gray and Martin Janecky at the Pilchuck Glass School have helped develop his artistic expression through glass. Working for artists such as Martin Blank, Micheal Fox, Jay MacDonnell, Aaron Tate and many others in Seattle has given him an abundance of technical knowledge and skills.

Maker’s Statement

As a designer and an artist I am inspired by creation, it’s processes and it’s results. The most intriguing and significant form of creation being that of life. My subject matter and expression are riddled with thoughts of evolution and adaptation in life. Glass as a medium has a fluid, dynamic quality, an ability to adapt to the environment. Glass interacts with it’s surroundings and is formed by it, just like a living being. I use glass to emphasize the need to be liquid in our lives, to be open to ideas and to be aware of our flaws.

My goal is to make glass a universally accepted media for fine art, used for complex expression and thought, with the focus of reflecting it’s qualities and mankind’s on the latter.