"Most of my inspiration comes from my natural surroundings, and is further enhanced by the beauty of the glass in its molten state. I am fortunate to have found work that I love and that allows me to be creative."

Robert Burch has been working in blown glass for over 30 years, and, while maintaining a broad production line is presently increasing his focus on one-of-a-kind and commission work. His glasswork consists of vases, perfume bottles, paperweights and sculptural pieces, with his specialty currently being works that incorporate veiled silver glass with delicate bubble patterns. Since 1977 Roberts work have been shown in numerous shows across the country. Macys, Bloomingdales, and Neiman-Marcus have been among his clients.

"I don't know if I chose glass, or it chose me," Robert muses. Glass and Burch met dramatically in the late 1960s when glassblowing was still new as a re-emerging craft. While visiting at Penland School of Arts and Crafts in North Carolina, Burch ventured out for an evening walk in the surrounding woods. 'I came upon a little cabin with a roar coming out of it and a strange glow in this window,' he almost whispers, remembering. "I looked in the door, and there was this guy blowing glass. I was stunned! The magic, the sensuality, the energy of that moving, molten glass! From that moment on, my purpose was to get as close to glass as I could."

A twist here, a light touch there, a breath, a moment's rest. A master is at work here, following the lead offered by glass heated to over 2,000 degrees. Occasionally, the roles are reversed. "Sometimes I feel like a tool the glass is using," he comments between precise puffs on his long pipe. So intimate is his relationship with each piece, that Burch claims he can 'identify his work for years past. "If you lose contact with the glass, you lose your potential for creative growth."