Toland Sand

“When I began my odyssey in glass in 1977 I had no idea where it would lead me. There was an intuition that I would enjoy the journey, and I have, traveling from stained glass to glass blowing to architectural glass to laminated glass sculpture, which I’ve been doing exclusively since 1987.

The mainstays of my work are optical crystals (leaded and non-leaded) as well as dichroic coated glass and pigmented adhesive. Hand working is a big factor. Each piece is shaped by hand, with secondary grinding, pre-polish and polishing to follow. I do use some machinery, especially for the flat surfaces. The shapes are timeless and usually simple, with accents of complexity.

Each piece takes 6 weeks to complete and for me it’s exciting to finish a piece and to see how it measures up to my concept that begins with inspiration, goes to a simple line drawing, and ends with a complex construction made more complex by reflection and refraction and the dance of light and color.”

Visually stunning, informative, and broad in scope, this comprehensive video overview provides a glimpse into the life and works of renowned glass sculpturist Toland Sand.