For the third consecutive year, The Corning Museum of Glass will host the CMoG Flameworking Collab with top flameworkers Saiyanglass, HicDogg, Windstar_Glass, and Sol Fire Glass. These guests artists will collaborate on a creative, compositional sculpture, employing advanced flameworking techniques, such as complex assembly of hollow forms and finely detailed solid sculptural elements.

This spectacular, functional piece will incorporate each artist's individual style to produce a seamlessly blended idea. The design is completely new to the artists, with the concept emerging in full as they work through it.

Saiyanglass:   / saiyanglass  
Jose Sanchez, also known as Saiyanglass, has flameworked for the past 12 years, with a focus on sculpting for the past 8 years. As a child, Saiyanglass was always attracted to art and never imagined being able to bring some of their favorite shows and characters to life through glass.

HicDogg:   / hicdogg  
James Lynch (HicDogg) has been working with glass since 1996. At 16, he discovered flameworking and began learning in his dad’s garage. At 18, he moved to Colorado to work at Diablo Glass. Since then, he has worked independently under his business, I Blew It Glassworks, and his nickname, HicDogg.

When asked why he chose glass, Lynch says, “I knew I wanted to be artistic as a kid, and I was terrible at most art forms. When I found glassblowing, I was terrible at that, too, but l had so much love for melting glass that it drove me to stick with it long enough to get good at it. I believe glass is one of the most important substances humans have worked with. Everything in our modern lives is possible in part with the help of glass. It is an amazing material and important to humanity. I am stoked that I get to make art out of it.”

Windstar_Glass:   / windstar_glass  
Through the influences around her, Shayla Windstar Behrman developed a passion for the arts and working with her hands. She dived headfirst into any craft around her, and there were many! First, it was drawing or sketching. From there, macramé, carving, beadwork, needlework, pottery—and the list goes on. She never received formal training—apart from learning from the elders and artisans around her, and when she found glass, it was in the same fashion. Glass was introduced into Windstar_Glass' life through family. Her mother, now a retired hippy and successful businesswoman, owned several smoke shops and continued to approach life in an unconventional but free manner. She approached Windstar_Glass about making production glass for her customers after the birth of Windstar_Glass' daughter. For Windstar_Glass, it was love at first sight. The way the glass moved and changed when introduced to fire lit her soul. After some basic instruction, she was set free to learn and develop this new craft.