Robert Found Inspiration in Nature:

Nature-Inspired Marbles For Sale Soon

One day, I was spending the weekend with Bob, and we went fishing, took a walk by the Kanawha RIver, and strolled along the woodland paths, which ran by his flower garden. My uncle loved being out of doors, and especially liked spending time in the mountains. He told me that he found many of his ideas for glass designs by walking in the woods and letting ideas just come to him.

He loved staying at the General Lewis Inn in Lewisburg, and he found that spending time in the nearby Allegheny mountains gave him inspiration. He said he could think more clearly in the mountains and that he felt closer to God there. If he saw a beautiful flower, an unusual patch of moss, or an array of intertwined branches and tree limbs, he would pull out a small notebook and sketch it. Then, later, he would design a piece of glass around the motif.

Uncle Bob dreamed of building a log home in the mountains of West Virginia, during his retirement years, where he could spend his last days -- a dream he never realized, due to an untimely illness. If you look closely at some of my uncle's handmade glass treasures, you may be able to see the influence of mother nature. Ironically, Uncle Bob spent most of his working hours in a hot glass studio, designing and blowing glass, and seldom found time to get outside and explore the natural world, which he loved so much.

Bob was particularly fond of roses, and poured his heart and soul into perfecting the Hamon Rose, a crimp-style paperweight, which was very popular among serious collectors in the early days. The Allegheny Mountains gave Bob great inspiration, much like the starlit night skies. And, for Uncle Bob, the mountains were a powerful spiritual symbol, a place where one could pray and meditate, find inspiration and seek visions.

Time!

Bob is gone, but his legacy remains. Every time I stop to admire a paperweight, vase or sculpture Bob crafted from hot glass, I feel a quiet sense of awe. His work still moves admirers around the globe. And it provokes in me a feeling of wonder. Sometimes I think it is only art that makes an insane world go ‘round. Bob no longer crafts art glass and my father no longer promotes his art. But I will keep this website going to perpetuate their memory.

And…I have some of Bob’s signed collectors marbles, and they’re beautiful. I will be putting some of them up for sale. After all, it would be wrong of me to keep them for myself. So, stay tuned to this channel, as I will be announcing a group of marbles the world has never seen soon. You’ll want to put your hands on a few, I promise. Pictures will follow.