Artist Bio
Ron Tickerhoff

Ron is native to the Washington, DC area. He was born in Washington and raised in Northern Virginia, where he and his life partner live today.

Ron has always been inspired by art, and studied oil painting, watercolor and pottery as a child. Although he did not pursue any of these avenues on a long-term basis, Ron enjoyed being around and seeing all types of artwork, spending many happy hours at various museums in the US and Europe, and coming home with his hands full of postcards or trinkets of various art pieces, dreaming of one day of being able to express himself through art.

Ron has always been interested in various types of stained glass, but always thought that form of art was beyond his creative abilities. He was finally inspired to learn more when a close friend presented him with a stained glass column lamp his friend had made. Ron asked for some instruction in the craft, and that’s all it took! An obsession with a new art form had arisen. He embraced the various stained glass techniques – both copper foil and leaded - and began learning whatever he could about the process of stained glass through reading, talking to others, taking classes and of course, lots of experimentation.

After Ron’s first lesson, he was hooked and had a strong passion for glass. “Each time I work with a piece of glass, I allow myself to be connected to it. This allows me the ability to truly be part of each piece that I make.”

It was not long before Ron was creating pieces using stained glass patterns of his own design. He also began to accept commissioned work from various friends. “I feel the piece is more mine when I’ve created the design and then followed the entire process to the finish. A lot of my designs are inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright and designs found in Southwest Native American art. I find that by using mostly straight lines in a piece, one can achieve many unique art designs and shapes. But, as I go through each day, I try to be aware of my surroundings and always be open to seeing beyond what is in front of me in the search for design possibilities.”

Out of curiosity, Ron took a class in fusing and slumping offered by a local stained glass store. That began a whole new obsession of kiln formed glass. As with the traditional stained glass process, Ron read many books, talked to lots of people, participated in glass workshops, and did lots of experimenting (a favorite pastime). Within a few months he had purchased his first kiln and lots of “compatible glass,” and with an unstoppable imagination, began to create art pieces that people wanted to own. His fused bowls, platters and tray artwork serve a dual purpose; as “functional art,” the pieces can stand alone or be used as intended by the final shape, as bowls, plates, platters, trays, etc.

A new technique to Ron is the crackle technique. This is where he uses powdered glass to create very unique and one of a kind functional art pieces. Also with this technique, he is able to mix two or more powders to create some very beautiful and striking colors.

Ron now has 10 years experience in working with various type of stained and fused glass. He has expanded into teaching, and hopes to one day to open a store/studio where he could show and sell his own artwork and teach others interested in this “cool” art form.

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