Christopher Smith: Glaskrafter Art Glass

Originally from San Fransisco, Christopher opened his Glaskrafter Art Glass Studio in Nanaimo in 1977. The studio relocated to Lantzville in 1986, the same year the Canadian Government granted Christopher Landed Immigrant status. He became a Canadian Citizen in 2002. In 1991 the studio moved to its present location on the edge of Nanoose Bay.

Glaskrafter Art Glass is one of the oldest established art glass studios on Vancouver Island and provides a full range of services, from restoration to complete design and consultation work with clients, interior designers and architects, resulting in glass work very specific to site and client.

As the Art Glass market changed in 2008, Christopher changed his focus as well. He had exhibited sandblasted and stained Glass in the '80s and knew he needed to move from architectural glass to gallery appropriate art glass. He spent time working in Brock Craig's fusing glass studio in 2009 and studied glass casting at Bullseye Glass in 2010. At the same time he concentrated on developing new kiln casting techniques for glass, developing the specific and unique process for casting his glass salmon, salmon eggs and baskets.

Chris has taught many classes in stained glass and sandblasting glass as well as glass fusing and slumping techniques. He was an Instructor at Malaspina College, North Island College and the Nelson School District. He also spent a rewarding ten years (starting in 1996) working with selected Grade 12 students at Nanaimo District Secondary, helping them design and build stained glass windows and fused glass panels for their new library.