Bill and Rae Grout
Bill has been torching glass since 1993, and started Aspen Hot Glass in 200
Bill and Rae are full time artists from Corvallis Montana. “We are science geeks to glassblowers”. They both have technical backgrounds in the high tech avionics industry but left the corporate life to live their dream.
Bill became a full time artist and started blowing glass in 1993 and Rae left the corporate world in 2002 to be with Bill and become a glassblower. In 2016 Rae began incorporating metal working, dragon attire and Steampunk designs into their glass art. Together they live on a small farm that includes orchards, an extensive garden with a green house, Steampunk shop, Torch shop for torch work glass blowing, Bills Man Cave equipped with a electronics wing and Brew house.
Their farm has fantastic views overlooking the Bitterroot Valley of Montana. Together they spread love and harmony, sharing this fantastic journey called life.
Rae Grout
Rae joined the creative chaos in 2002, leaving a perfectly good job in Bozeman Montana just to be with Bill.
For 20 years I worked in the printed circuit board electronics industry. I have a chemical engineering background and understand the importance of thermal dynamics. This was one of the keys to printed circuit board stability. That same principal flows over into proper glass annealing after the glassblowing process. I had studied fine art and sculpture at Pratt and several art studios around the Seattle area. One day I met a glass instructor with an eye patch. I asked him why his classes were not held at night or on weekends so working people like me could take his classes. I don’t remember his exact words but later on realized I had been talking to the glass god Dale Chihuly. Now I wish I had taken time out of my day job to study in his glassblowing classes. His glass art has always moved and inspired me euphorically.
I started working with hot glass in 2002 when I was introduced to it by Bill Grout, a glass artist who has worked in the field since 1993. In April of 2003 I moved to the beautiful Bitterroot Valley of Montana to be with Bill and become a full time glass artist. On January 24, 2004 Bill and I eloped and I wrote my family from the hotel room “hey guess what I did this weekend” Hee Hee. Bill and I live on a 10 acre farm that over looks the valley. The beauty and serenity of the environment we live in is fused into the glass pieces we create. Our glass studio is about 20 steps from our house and if you hear the place rocking don’t bother knocking, just come on in :-
Bill Grout
Beginning in 1993, Bill was drawn into the world of Lampwork, or the manipulation of glass in the flame.
Although growing up in the Seattle area (well known now for it’s glassblowing community), it was not until after leaving the corporate world behind and moving to Montana that I began torching glass. It was on a trip back to Seattle in 1993 that I happened upon Isis Ray, who was selling her handmade beads from a booth in the Public Market. Seeing her beads opened a door, which drew me into the world of glassblowing. She had a very brief description on a small card describing how they were made, and that was the seed for it all. Being a good fire sign, (read pyro), I was immediately drawn to the idea of playing with fire, and perhaps even earning some money in the process. Originally selling at Art Fairs and Galleries, we now have our own store in Corvallis Montana.
I don’t consider myself an Artist in the modern sense, but rather an Artisan in the Old World sense where “the art of glassblowing” would refer more to skill and technique. Pulling and twisting glass is a magical and technically challenging skill, which I have been known for and enjoy very much. The ribbon cane has become a decorative element in much of my work. After years of creating many thousands of small beads, I have transitioned into working with borosilicate glass and continue to enjoy the challenge of glassblowing.
In contemplating my place in the world, I often times reflect on the relevance of my work and my lifestyle. I am after all in the business of selling a handmade item that is a pure luxury. Nobody requires my glass artwork to survive, but perhaps it is fair to say there are those whose life is enriched in a significant way by my work. I know there are those whose face lights up with a smile when they see and hold these creations of fire and earth. That is my reward and my inspiration to continue spreading love and harmony, one piece at a time.
