MEET THE TEAM
ryan hoffman aka 'huffy' - owner, chief artist, contemporary wizard
ryan hoffman began his lampworking career in evansville, indiana in 1998. initially working under dene stephens, ryan built his fundamental skills making beads, marbles, and small blown objects before moving to bloomington in december 2000.
ryan attended Penland school of crafts near asheville, north carolina during the summers of 2001-2003, both as a student and assistant instructor. his work continued to evolve to a more advanced level in that span as his coursework explored neon glass, venetian-inspired technique, and lathe methods.
during his time at penland, ryan suffered an unfortunate hand injury while working that kept him off the torch for a few months. channeling that experience, in combination with the knowledge he had acquired to that point, ryan pushed his craft to a new level and began to regularly produce larger and more advanced functional apparatus while also incorporating multilayer colors and patterns into his work.
by 2005, ryan had built a reputation in southern indiana for high quality functional glass art, with a versatile repertoire that included a style or function to meet any budget. it was around this time that ryan, with support of the bloomington community, began to brand his work as 'huffy glass.'
in 2011 he played an integral role in building and opening volta glass studio, and has been the backbone and sole proprietor since 2012.
ryan developed the inventive style for which he is known today by drawing on inspiration from original 17th century venetian lampworking in combination with the teachings of many versatile instructors. his body of work spans all forms and functions, and you can watch him melt from the gallery at volta glass studio.