Seth Bickis

From the moment he became fascinated with the creations made from melting glass by artists at Renaissance Fairs in his early 20s, Seth Bickis says he was hooked on the artform of flameworked glass.

He immediately went out and bought a used torch and a handful of glass rods, and 12 years later he continues to find challenge in creating beautifully unique orbs out of melting glass.

Everything about the artform inspires him, from the way glass becomes mailable under the heat to how fast it becomes solid again.

“It is an artform only limited by your skills and imagination. Being able to make what you imagine takes decades of practice and dedication,” he says.

As a child, Seth loved making things and working in his grandfather’s shop, and now after devoting more than a decade to honing his glassmaking craft, he says it’s given him faith in himself and life in general.

“Not everyone is able to make a living doing what they love,” Seth says. “None of it comes easily, and without the challenge I don’t think it would be nearly as interesting and rewarding.”

Seth says he likes to create his designs using the subtleties of fumes given off by burning gold and silver in the flame to yield a very translucent rainbow of colors, from blues and pinks to yellows and greens.

While Seth is honored to be recognized as an Indiana Artisan, he says living the life of an artist is the hardest thing he’s ever done.

“The highs put me above the clouds and the lows make me wish I worked in a factory

mindlessly plugging away,” Seth says. “Being a creator takes more effort than most understand. It is a quest not even I understand sometimes.”