Through a lost-wax casting process, South Carolina glass artist Wm. Austin Norvell transfers the insignificant objects he finds and collects into delicate crystal keepsakes.
Artist: The Charleston native graduated from the College of Charleston with a degree in studio art and studied art and mold making for two years at the Richmond American International College in London.
He worked in several sculptural mediums before being introduced to glass casting at the Penland (NC) School of Crafts in 2004.
Besides working on commissions or personal artwork in his SC-based glass studio, Norvell works seasonally for Berengo Studios 1989 in Murano/Venice, Italy.
Company/studio: Austin Norvell Art is based in Mount Pleasant. Norvell also oversees Melt Glass Foundry, which accepts commissions for custom glass and metal work, including jewelry and home accents.
In the beginning: After being introduced to glass at Penland, he purchased a casting kiln the next week and began casting glass.
Art & materials: Lost-wax cast lead crystal glass.
What’s popular:
- Sculptures in the Loaded Truck Series ($2,800 to $3,200). The series of glass vintage truck sculptures deals with nostalgia of objects.
- Single crystal boiled peanuts ($25 each). Boiled peanuts are a Southern snack often sold at roadside stands.
Favorite tools: All his diamond tools, from the diamond saw and flat wheel to his diamond wet belt sander and flex shaft tools.
Inspirations: Objects he collects or finds at flea markets and thrift stores, including seashells, rocks, empty bottles and rusty old tools.
Special or unusual commissions:
- A large hanging art installation, “Learning to Fly,” at the South Carolina Aeronautical Training Center in North Charleston.The installation consisted of nearly 100 cast poly-vitro paper airplanes and model airplanes suspended by cable flowing across the lobby of the facility at Trident Technical College.
- A clear glass model of CSS H.L. Hunley, the Confederate submarine was sunk off the coast of Charleston in 1864. It was found in 1995 and raised intact in 2000. A British collector, with a keen interest in military history, commissioned the work.
Honors:
- Being invited to work in the casting department at Berengo Studios in 1989.
- Teaching glass casting at Pilchuck Glass School in 2024. The school, based in Stanwood, WA, was founded in 1971 by American glass artist Dale Chihuly and others.
Recent project: Resident artist at Gibbes Museum of Art, early 2023.
Next: “Resonate,” a solo exhibit at Gibbes Musuem of Art, Charleston, SC. Through Dec. 10. Norvell was a recent visiting artist at the Gibbes.
Buy:
Social:
- Instagram: @austinnorvell and @meltglassfoundry.
- Facebook: William Austin Norvell.
