ANDY NICHOLS

ARTIST STATEMENT

Native Oregonian, Andy Nichols was born to be an artist.  With his mother’s encouragement, he dabbled in many different forms of art from a young age, including years working in stained glass.  He found his true medium in hot glass. After taking several classes, he built his own equipment and set out to teach himself the art of blowing glass in his garage. 

Realizing that glass blowing was his calling, Andy  left his 20 year career in the restaurant business to open a professional glass studio in the Dalles, Oregon.  Since 2001 he has been a full time artist, also working as a teacher/educator to many aspiring glass blowers.

With the fearlessness that often comes from being self-taught, Andy approaches his craft in a non-traditional manner. He constantly strives to challenge the boundaries with every piece and maximize his individual capacities and style. His love of fish, specifically salmon has been a strong inspiration in his evolving style. He also creates large scale installations for regional hotels, lodges and homes.