Dave Gustafson

David Gustafson, co-owner of Gustafson Glass, LLC moved to Middletown VA from Ohio 4 years ago to be close to family. Twenty years ago he made stained glass items and sold them at local Ohio shows. The profits were used to fund classes in various methods of Glass manipulation. Three years into his glass journey he concentrated on glass fusing because it allowed him to create functional pieces. He sought out leading glass instructors in Texas, Georgia, Oregon, Las Vegas, North Carolina, New York and various offerings in Ohio to extend and develop techniques. In the 2010s he did as many as 15 shows each year but eventually found placing pieces in various museum shops and art stores more efficient. At present he is in 18 stores in Ohio, West Virginia and Virginia.

He finds glass equally frustrating and fascinating. He worked his way through school as a metal worker so he is familiar with precision cutting methods. He also has a background in chemistry and appreciates the interplay of the chemical and physical forces at play as a project takes shape in the kilns. He finds working with glass a strange mixture of inspiration and the drudgery of maintaining equipment.

He enjoys the many applications of glass. Visiting manufacturers, public buildings and museums with significant glass collections has been the focus of most vacations for the last 2 decades. His greatest influences in glass have been Patty Grey, Nathan Sandberg and his first teacher, Bonnie Proudfoot, who brought a kiln to a stained glass adult education class at a local college. At weekly meetings they shared bits of information they’d discovered through the internet and their own experiments as fused glass was only taught in a few college art programs at the time. Each of his instructors helped build his body of knowledge and experience, honing it into a discipline. 

David Gustafson

7844 Church St

Middletown VA 22645

740-541-6740

Dgustafs@icloud.com