Brecksville native explores color and emotion through glassblowing

by Laura Straub

For Brecksville native Dean Wehrenberg, working as a glass artist and hot shop manager at the Glass Asylum in Chagrin Falls gives him the opportunity to leave his mark on a storied artistic discipline.

“I really appreciate the rich history of glassblowing, starting with the ancient Romans to the Venetians to the newer American school of glassblowing,” he said. “It’s amazing to be a part of such a long and beautiful historical tradition.”

Although the tradition has developed over hundreds of years, Wehrenberg said each glass piece takes shape quickly, and that’s one of the things he likes best about the technique.

“I love to work with my hands and see beautiful works of art happen so quickly right in front of me,” he said.

Although Wehrenberg can’t pinpoint the exact occasion, the Brecksville-Broadview Heights High School grad thinks his introduction to glassblowing happened when he was in high school, at a local studio, likely The Glass Bubble Project in Ohio City or Superior Hot Glass Studio in Cleveland.

“I didn’t think too much about it at the time, probably because I didn’t understand what was happening, even though I’m sure I did enjoy it,” Wehrenberg said.

While earning his degree at the Columbus College of Art and Design, Wehrenberg had the opportunity to try glassblowing. He was so deeply enthralled with the practice that he decided to minor in it.

“I actually majored in product design and minored in glassblowing,” he said. “I was interested in how products were designed, and it seemed a safer career choice at the end of the day. However, once I got out of school, I missed working with glass so much that I realized I had to pursue glass fulltime if I could.”

Wehrenberg said he bounced between odd jobs for a year or two after graduation until he found the opportunity he’d been looking for.

A new glassblowing studio called the Glass Asylum was ramping up to open in Chagrin Falls, and the studio was looking for artists. Wehrenberg signed on while the studio was still under construction and helped build the hot shop that he works in today.

“It has been a roller coaster ride, to be honest,” Wehrenberg said. “When I found out they were looking to hire, there wasn’t much information other than that and an address. When I arrived to interview, I wasn’t sure I was in the right place, because the entire building was gutted and being rebuilt. There was nothing besides the floor, roof and half of the walls.”

Wehrenberg said that looking back, he’s proud of how far the studio and he have come since then. Together with the rest of the staff, he got the studio up and running. Since the studio opened in 2015, Wehrenberg’s skills have improved. He said he’s been able to invest more time in creating his own artwork, usually finding himself in the studio six days a week.

“I’m just so passionate about it, I don’t have much time for other forms of art,” he said. “I do sketch and doodle in my free time, but that is mostly to blow off steam and relax.”

When he creates, Wehrenberg is inspired by the history and variety of techniques associated with glass art.

“From the basics of shaping techniques to advanced color techniques, there is always more to learn and explore,” he said. “Color plays a large role in my work. I am always searching for new color combinations and techniques for applying color to get different effects.

“I really like to explore how color relates to different emotions and memories. I love how different colors can pull emotions out of us and bring us back to forgotten memories.”

For more information about Wehrenberg and his work, visit theglassasylum.com/about.

Featured image photo caption: Brecksville native Dean Wehrenberg has made a career out of his passion as a glass artist and hot shop manager at the Glass Asylum, a glassblowing studio in Chagrin Falls.