Optical Glass Sculpture Artist Delivers WOW Pieces Each & Every Time -- Check them out!

Lynne Kornecki
Sep 1
3 min read

Jeff Honsberger, with a few of his optical glass sculptures. Scroll down to view more of his extraordinary work.

For Jeff Honsberger, it all began during a simple walk down a busy retail street in Naples, Florida. Suddenly he spotted an art gallery displaying optical glass sculpture. Optical means no bubbles. Instantly fascinated, he felt compelled to learn all about it. Little did he know at the time the amount of effort and financial resources it would take before he could successfully craft his own work.

Two years and $100,000 later, this aspiring artist finally achieved his goal. He taught himself-- from scratch--how to design using the cold glass process.

His venture into this medium would have discouraged most others. He says he’s thankful that he had the financial resources to persevere because he remembers doing everything wrong.

Not knowing where to start, he purchased all the wrong tools. Used the wrong types of glass and supplies. Adding to his frustration, was that each and every artist he approached who was already excelling in this process, refused to offer him any advice or even speak to him.

“Less than one percent of glass artists out there are working in the cold glass method,” Jeff observes. “Most glass artists use the hot glass methods of fusing or blowing.”

Despite the expensive setbacks and the frustrating roadblocks, he continued. Now, seven years later his work is available in almost one dozen galleries across the nation, and he has made a name for himself among cold glass artisans.

“I decided not to be like the other glass artists who ignored me when I first contacted them for help,” he explained. “I wanted to pay my success forward. When someone calls me for help, I’m glad to talk to them. It’s not a medium that’s for everyone. Why not share your information with someone before they spend a lot of money only to learn it’s not the right choice for them. There’s enough opportunity out there for everyone.”

How did this man who worked in the defense and space industry for decades, suddenly find himself a successful artist? As a young man, he was always hands on with fixing or building things describing himself as very handy. In addition to that, he loves color – something he vividly brings to his work.

Luckily, these innate skills helped him fine-tune his glass artistry. He builds his glass cubes from the inside out where the steps are cut, grind, polish, glue on more glass, repeat and keep repeating. His finished work can weigh anywhere from 20-25 pounds and taking upwards of six months to complete. He’s also designed the perfect metal display stands for his work using aircraft grade aluminum that can support the load. These stands allow for a 360-degree display.

And what’s the source of his ongoing inspiration?

“The ideas always come to me during the night,” he says. “I’ll wake up and do a quick sketch. I’m not sure how this process works other than to suspect that I must have seen something during the day that caught my eye, and the design comes together in my mind while I’m sleeping.”

Jeff is now at the point where his art is paying for itself with retail prices of $4,800 to $18,000. He encourages others to learn from their mistakes and keep plugging away.

For him, the work never gets boring especially as he adds additional design elements such as gold plating.

“I’m always chasing that WOW factor with each piece I create,” Jeff says.

And does he ever!

Learn more here: Fine Art Glass Sculptures - Jeffery Dolan Honsberger

See his work at such galleries as: Artists | The Marshall Gallery | Scottsdale, AZ