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Visitors to Patterson Glassworks Studio and Gallery on W. Elkhorn Avenue will often find owner and artist Gerald Patterson hard at work creating something colorful and striking out of molten glass.
Patterson has no end of inspiration, loving all aspects of the mountains he has lived in for almost two decades. The light, color, water and wind sculpted snow are all inspirations to him as he creates one of a kind works of art.
Growing up in and around Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Patterson knew that he wanted to live near mountains for most of his life. He fell in love with them at an early age when he took a train ride from Denver to Salt Lake City. So he jumped at the chance to move with his girlfriend to Colorado when he was 21 years old, and live amongst the peaks he fell in love with in his childhood.
"Coming from Iowa and wanting mountains and knowing very young you wanted to live near them, settling down near Rocky Mountain National Park [was perfect]," Patterson said.
They bounced around for awhile, spending time in Loveland and Drake, and when Patterson's girlfriend wanted to return to the Midwest to go back to school, Patterson decided to make his own trail and move to Estes Park, at the base of RMNP. He decided to rent a small apartment on the west side of Elkhorn Avenue, unbeknownst to him that artist Garth Mudge had been operating a glassblowing studio next to his new home for some time.
"I just kind of discovered that I was living next to a glassblowing studio and I just started hanging out with Garth, and watched him, helped drink his beers in the evening," Patterson said. "I actually worked here two years for free. I just made myself available, anytime I could help out I did."
He started keeping the store open later, running sales of Mudge's work, and in between customers, worked on his own skill of glassblowing, learning from Mudge and finding his own style.
Patterson had always been drawn to art growing up, and had talent in it. Growing up in eastern Iowa, art was never really presented to Patterson as a career option in school, but once he found the studio, he was hooked.
"Once I saw glassblowing, I was just so fascinated by the process, it just really grabbed me," Patterson said. "So I just started reading about it, watching Garth and wanting to try every technique that I could."
He has been blowing glass for almost 19 years, pushing the limits of his abilities and finding new challenges to conquer and techniques to master.
"I am still always trying new things. That's what keeps it fresh and keeps good energy going," Patterson said. "I am always pushing it, trying new stuff, coming up with new ideas and problem solving. I like to just figure it out, and figure out how to do things solo."
Patterson's studio is unique in the glass world, much smaller than most, and unlike most glassblowers, Patterson usually works solo, with no assistant. He said most studios need at least one assistant, and there are a lot of techniques he uses at Patterson Glassworks that are rare. His creations can be easily purchased on his studio website, www.glassworksofestespark.com, and you can see more of his work and techniques on his artist website, www.geraldpatterson.com.
You can find Patterson in his studio most days of the week, creating whatever he desires that day. His shop is an eclectic display of his talent and style, with small, inexpensive tokens for novices, to colorful and large striking pieces for the more serious glass collector.
Patterson will continue to blow glass, and evolve his skills. He has pieces in his gallery for every style and budget, and is often commissioned to create unique pieces. Stop in and find some glass.
