Jeff Benroth began working with glass during high school in Portsmouth, NH before he was eligible for a work permit (the first six weeks until he turned fourteen were gratis, on a "trial" basis). He attended the California College of Arts and Crafts, during which time he also worked for glass studios in San Francisco and the surrounding Bay Area.
He formed his own studio practice in 2002 after nine years as a blower and production manager for other glass studios in the Bay Area. His thorough knowledge of the custom glass production environment and experience in reconciling designers' ideas with the material have made him and the studio a valuable resource for the design community in the Bay Area and nationally. His interests in architecture and industrial design have honed his eye for integrating glass into larger systems and designs.
Lance Fraser hails from SoCal and has worked and studied extensively at Pilchuck Glass School. He recently completed his degree in Glass at CCA and currently works for Jeff and other glass artists around the Bay Area.
Maryann Lipaj once described herself as "grout". Despite the humble comparison, she handles herself well in any pinch and thinks best on her feet. Maryann was the administrative director at Ox-Bow School of Art in Saugatuck, Michigan. She and Jeff stomped the same grounds of Coventry Avenue in Cleveland Heights, albeit ten years apart.
Ari Metz, while not officially a studio employee, generously lends his time as needed in exchange for a small corner of the studio to execute some of his own ideas. He studied painting at the University of Colorado, Boulder before realizing that he had another career to forge in the world of glass. Ari works multiple jobs and attends multiple schools simultaneously; we now assume he pursues everything in multiples.
Joshua Smith acquired a strong glassmaking background in production studios around the Los Angeles area and brought his family to the Bay area so he, too, could study at the California College of the Arts. He is consistently the best-coiffed glassblower in the studio.
Sky Ternahan earned his Bachelors degree in Chemistry and Physics from Reed College in 1999; he is now an emeritus member of the studio staff, living on the central CA coast but occasionally lending his time to studio projects as needed. He has studied glass since high school, attended workshops at the Corning Museum and Pilchuck Glass School, and worked at numerous west coast production studios including the Bullseye Glass Factory, where he was a glassblower and sheet caster. He is the proud father of Delilah Sky.