2024 Handblown Glass Ornaments

About the Artists

The Dark Blue Metallic Finial and Ice Blue Ornaments are hand blown by Douglas Jan Burgess II. Douglas is an Indigenous artist (Haida, Dakota, Grand Ronde) and his aesthetic is largely inspired by the Haida art that surrounded him growing up in Hydaburg, Alaska. After moving to Tacoma ,WA, Burgess had his introduction to hot glass through the Hilltop Artists non profit in 2009, and has studied at Pilchuck glass school and the Corning Museum of glass. Douglas has had the opportunity to show his work in the Museum of glass,Tacoma art museum, Bainbridge Island museum of Art, Thurston County museum of fine arts, and Pilchuck glass school. In his work Burgess pays homage to his culture’s traditional practices in a contemporary format. Burgess has since returned to Hilltop Artists full circle as an instructor where he works full time Teaching middle schoolers where we foster teamwork, perseverance, and build confidence through working with hot glass.

The Festive Swirl and Green Swirl Ornaments are hand blown by Samantha Scalise. Sam is a glass artist born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and raised in Tacoma, Washington. Growing up in the Hilltop neighborhood, she first discovered the art of glassmaking at the age of 12 through a program called Hilltop Artists. This sparked a lifelong passion for the craft. Today, Sam shares her love for glass as a teacher at the same program, Hilltop Artists, which continues to inspire young people through the art of glassmaking. Her work is deeply influenced by the natural world, drawing inspiration from the beauty and complexity of nature. Through her art and teaching, Sam fosters creativity, community, and the transformative power of art

Making a Difference

A portion of the proceeds from the sale of the ornaments go to the Center Art Foundation, which is a subsidiary of the Seattle Foundation that helps fund local arts organizations, youth arts programs, school arts education and scholarships for individual artists. Thank you for supporting the Pacific Northwest arts community.  

Points to Note:

The ornaments are all individually handblown and therefore may have variations in size, color and shape. The ornament purchased will not look identical to the one shown in the images.