Randi Solin Wanted to Be a Senator. Then She Saw Molten Glass Poured in the Dark

Randi Solin is a glass artist in Brattleboro, Vermont, who makes one-of-a-kind contemporary handblown glass vessels and sculptures with richly layered color and optical depth. Growing up, she wanted to be a senator; at 17, visiting Alfred University, she walked into a glassblowing studio, saw molten glass poured in the dark and changed course. She has worked in glass for 40 years.

Randi approaches glass like an abstract expressionist painter approaching a canvas, building color into the body of a piece layer by layer, “like the rings of a tree.” She uses pure rods of color, powdered glass, cane, frit, shards and, in some works, silver foil or real gold and silver leaf. Cut and polished surfaces let you look into the layers, so each piece changes as you walk around it.

Randi creates commissioned glass sculptures and works with interior designers and art consultants on projects large and small; her work is in airports, spas, hospitals and private residences. A commission starts with an email about the space, the scale and what draws you to her work. Trade discounts are available by inquiry, custom projects have their own timeline, and she ships internationally.

Randi’s sales come mostly from galleries (about 35%) and art shows (about 35%), because her work is three-dimensional and captures people even more in person. Her own Fire Arts Gallery brings about 20% and online sales about 10%. The channels work together: someone sees a piece in a gallery, follows her studio online and comes back when a work speaks to them – one Instagram Reel led to a $2,675 sale.

Randi was 17 and visiting Alfred University as a prospective student when she walked into a glassblowing studio and saw molten glass being poured into a mold in the dark. “It looked like liquid light. That encounter changed my life.”

Growing up, she had wanted to be a senator, to affect people’s lives. Now she realized she could make a difference in people’s lives through art. She went to Alfred University having only done some photography in her home darkroom – she had no formal art training. Glassmaking turned out to be deeply meditative: you have to stay focused on the glass at all times. The optics of glass fascinated her, and that curiosity has carried her through 40 years of work.

“Glass takes advantage of an unfocused mind.”

“I approach the glass like an abstract expressionist painter approaching a canvas.” Color is something she builds into the body of the piece, layer by layer. She works with pure rods of color, powdered glass, cane, frit, shards and, in some works, silver foil or sheets of real gold and silver leaf. Each material behaves differently in the heat, and even after all these years it can be unpredictable.

She develops the main idea of a composition beforehand, but the nature of the glass means each piece still comes out unique. While shaping the molten glass on the pipe, she responds to the relationship between color, form and the movement of the glass. Her assistant, George Billesimo, works alongside her at the furnace.

Video: Randi Solin

The thickness of the glass creates a lens. Cut and polished surfaces let you look into the layers of her coloration process, while the contrast between an organic form and a crisp edge gives each piece definition. “I want you to discover something when you look inside: a line disappearing beneath another color, a shift in depth, evidence of how the work came into being.”

Contemporary handblown glass vessels and sculptures by Randi Solin – layered color, optical depth and the relationship between light and form. Photos: Victor Janczar (pieces), Kristin Vallejo Photography (Randi at work).

Randi’s buyers include private collectors, galleries, interior designers and art consultants. Some are new to contemporary glass; others have collected her work for years. Because each piece is unique, many customers buy several over time – the record so far is 22 pieces.

Her work lives in private residences and public settings, including healthcare spaces, hotels, corporate collections and numerous U.S. embassies, with projects across the United States and in London, Paris and Beijing. The designers of a cafe inside Emory Spa in London reached out and ordered multiple pieces for the built-ins they created in its dining area. She ships worldwide. “Whether a piece becomes part of someone’s home or a larger design project, I want it to reward attention and bring something lasting to the space.”

Pieces range from about $650 to $6,300; larger sculptures and commissions are priced individually. Trade discounts are available by inquiry, and her general production and shipping estimate is three weeks or more.

After Alfred University, Randi worked in California for numerous glass artists and taught young children. She opened her own glass studio in Northern California in 1995 and has been working in Southern Vermont since 1998. Her work is very three-dimensional, and in person it can capture attention even more than online – so her early sales came from the best retail art shows around the country and from the many galleries that represent her.

Today people find Randi’s work through galleries, art shows, her Vermont studio, Instagram, Facebook, her email list and her website – and these channels often work together. “Someone might discover a piece at a gallery, follow my studio process online and return when a particular work speaks to them.” About 35% of her sales come from galleries, 35% from art shows, 20% from her own Fire Arts Gallery and 10% online.

The shows that matter most include the Philadelphia Museum of Art retail show, the Boca Raton Museum retail show, Cherry Creek in Denver and St. Louis, Missouri. Galleries that carry her work include Gallery D’May in Cape May, New Jersey, The Umstead Gallery in Cary, North Carolina, and Chasen Gallery in Sarasota, Florida.

Showing the making process gives people another way into the glass: they can see the heat, the movement and the layers developing. One Instagram Reel led to the sale of a $2,675 Aquos Window piece. Email keeps her connected with collectors – almost 3,000 people are on her list, and her newsletter has a 55% open rate. “For me, the relationship continues after someone purchases a piece. I love hearing where it lives and what they notice about it over time.”

“Learning to make glass and learning to support myself through glass were two different educations.” After art school she still had to learn how to run a business, manage client relationships and sell her work. She worked multiple jobs and kept learning alongside other artists – an area, she feels, art school never prepared her for.

When she started 40 years ago, there were only about 10 other women working in glass. There have been times when people assumed the man standing beside her was the artist. “Having my ability questioned because I’m a woman has been a real part of working in this field.”

Building a sustainable studio has taken persistence. The business, the equipment and the physical demands all need attention alongside the work. Her furnace is constantly on, and if something goes wrong with it, at any time of day or night, it has to be dealt with right away. “It’s like having a baby that never grows older.”

In 2013, Randi opened Fire Arts Vermont with her business partner, Natalie Blake – a gallery connected to her working studio, which fulfilled a longtime dream of creating a destination. People can see the finished work, watch glass being made, ask questions and meet the artist behind the piece. Today there is also a clay studio and a cafe on site. “Sharing that experience with the public has been one of the most meaningful parts of my career.”

“I create one-of-a-kind handblown glass art in Brattleboro, Vermont, building layers of color into sculptural vessels. My work is for collectors and designers drawn to expressive color, optical depth and art that continues to reveal itself over time.”

Have a question for Randi about her work or a commission, or a few words about her story and work? Leave them in the comments at the end of this story.

Who: Randi Solin
What: One-of-a-kind contemporary handblown glass vessels and sculptures
Where: Brattleboro, Vermont, USA
Started: 1995, Northern California; Southern Vermont since 1998
Audience: 11,000 Instagram followers, 8,500 on Facebook, almost 3,000 on her email list
Customers: Private collectors, galleries, interior designers and art consultants
Price range: $650–$6,300; larger sculptures and commissions priced individually
Custom orders: Yes
Ships: Worldwide
Works with designers: Yes, with trade discounts by inquiry
Channels: Word of Mouth & Offline, Social Media, Your Own Newsletter