Jacqueline Spiro Balderson
Jacqueline Spiro Balderson is a self-taught artist-designer who has been working with hot cast glass since 1990. She began working with artist Lee Lyon in his glass studio in Aspen, Colorado. As a team, their work has explored the many aspects of glass for use in design, sculpture, craft, and architecture. As an individual, her natural environment is her inspiration for exploring the idea of connection through form and material.
Spiro Lyon Glass has completed commissions for hotels, businesses, and private residences. Their work can be found at the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs, Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art, Kansas City, Missouri and in numerous private collections throughout the United States.
photo credit Arhya McNamee
Dylan Balderson
I grew up in a family of artists. My father was a wood turner and my mother worked with textiles. I began fine woodworking at a young age. I later attended the University of Hawaii and studied glassblowing with Rick Mills. I met Jacqueline in 1993, who then introduced me to Lee Lyon. I joined the Spiro Lyon team and began to assist in all aspects of the hot shop.
Jacqueline and I have been working together as artists for 20 years. We built our studio together in 2000. Since then we have completed many architectural and furniture commissions, been in several gallery shows, and hosted dozens of workshops.
TJ Ossola
TJ Ossola was born and raised in the Roaring Fork Valley of Colorado. He attended the Canberra School of Art in Australia and received a BA Visual Arts in Glass with Honours. He has since traveled the world to learn from and collaborate with renowned artists, designers, and architects. His art has been exhibited in galleries in Australia, New Zealand, Italy, and America.
TJ moved back to the Roaring Fork Valley in 2017 where he enjoys sharing his love for hot glass while gaffing and teaching at Spiro Lyon Glass Studio.
Wyatt Balderson
I was born and raised in the Spiro Lyon Glass shop. I have been blowing glass since a very young age and have been watching it long before that. My parents, Jacqueline and Dylan, have always given me an appreciation for fine art, and I continued that passion through grade school into college. I went to San Diego State University to study fine arts with an emphasis in graphic design. During my time at SDSU, I worked at Barrio Glass Works and honed on skills from many amazing artists.
Lee Lyon (1924-2016)
Lee Lyon, born 1924, Kansas City, Missouri, entered Harvard University, 1941. Enlisted US Army Air Corps immediately after Pearl Harbor and left Harvard for flight training as a pilot. Served a year overseas flying mostly transports in China, Burma, India theatre. Returned to Harvard and graduated 1947 as of the class of ’45 with a degree in Economics.
Lee became interested in the incipient studio glass movement and installed a studio for the production of hot cast glass producing one of a kind doors, walls, windows, furniture and sculpture. In 2011, he gave the business to his partner Jacqueline Spiro.
Lee passed away in February 2016. His vitality and love for learning will always be a part of the Spiro Lyon Glass team that lives on in his name.
How Spiro Lyon Glass came to be......
In 1989, artist Lee Lyon was working on a large scale ceramic commission using broken windshield glass over clay. He was very anxious to produce a bright red color in this piece but could not find a glaze that would fire to his liking. Lee had heard about Pilchuck Glass School and enrolled in a class hoping to learn how to create his own red glaze.
Lee signed up for a hot glass casting class taught by John Lewis. He was so inspired at Pilchuck that, after attending this workshop, he returned home, completed his commission, and changed his pottery studio into a hot glass casting studio.
In the summer of 1990, Lee was looking for an assistant to help him in his new studio. He already had some friends that were helping out, namely Carey Bringle and Phil Carter, but Lee needed more full time help.
Jacqueline Spiro showed up. A friend had told her about Lee and because she was mostly a “ski bum” at the time, this sounded like an interesting opportunity.
Lee and Jacq hit it off immediately. Lee’s enthusiasm for hot glass was contagious and Jacq caught the bug.
Soon the team discovered the resin bonded sand mold technique, often used for bronze casting. They were intrigued and decided to try to adapt this technique for glass casting. Through trial and error, they began to see the results they were hoping for.
Since then, Lee and Jacq have used resin bonded sand molds to create incredible sculptures, furniture, and architectural installations.
Jacqueline, Lee and Dylan have returned to Pilchuck Glass School to teach their unique casting technique.
