Thomas Spake, TKG

Thomas Spake

Jasper, Tennessee

My studio sits on a fifty-acre farm in rural Jasper, TN at the mouth of the Sequatchie Valley and the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains. This idyllic setting—surrounded by hardwood forest, a spring-fed pond, and herds of deer—provides ample inspiration for my award-winning glasswork. 

I discovered glassblowing as an undergraduate student on a basketball scholarship at Centre College in Danville, Kentucky. Awestruck at seeing molten glass gathered from the furnace onto steel blowpipes and manipulated into solid forms, I knew I’d found my calling. My transition from athlete to artisan was aided by my experience on the basketball court; both activities require teamwork, strength, and hand-eye coordination—I sometimes refer to glassblowing as the “extreme sport of the art-world.” 

For 18 years and counting, I’ve shared my one-of-a-kind glasswork in galleries, museum shops, and booths at juried art and craft shows throughout the country.