Fernhill Glass

A son of Portland, the artist became ocean-touched at age seven, when due to his mother's allergies, he and a brother began living summers in Lincoln City, exploring coastal life and tide pools, "all day, everyday." Subtle shifts of light mirroring the play of water and a bright, palette, define much of Claude's work. Twenty-five years experience in the field of stained glass and 13 more at Portland's Uroboros Glass Studio melded a rare skill set. From aesthetics to glass chemistry, Kurtz expertly balances spontaneity and choice in creative use of color and shape.A class in glass blowing in 1990 ignited a more personal passion for hot glass work, which found him assisting his own teacher (Kyle Gribksov, Skamokawa, WA) by 1996.In 2000 Claude began a 10 year partnership running The Gorge Glashaus, a demonstration Studio and Gallery at McMenamins Edgefield in Troutdale.