My great-grandfather Felix Alexander Dandois immigrated to Indiana from Belgium around the turn of the 20th century. By trade he was a glass windowpane maker-- an original craftsman of glass for utilitarian purposes. When the gas supply dried up in Indiana, he moved to Charleston, West Virginia, where my grandfather and father were born, both also named Felix.

My parents took me to Blenko Glass when we would visit family in West Virginia, and I experienced other glass blowing demonstrations in Jamestown, Virginia and Murano in Venice, Italy. I was always fascinated but never considered it as a potential hobby.

I found Urban Glass online and signed up for a class in 2003. I continue to take classes, treating glass art as part hobby, part therapy. Most pieces are utilitarian (although not window panes) but took an incredible weeklong intensive glass sculpting class with the amazing Karen Willenbrink-Johnsen, resulting in some of the sculptures pictured below. Another benefit is that I've felt welcomed into the community of artists even outside the glass world and look forward to continuing my appreciation of art.

All works blown and/or sculpted by Megan Dandois.