Craig Mitchell Smith has built his career on what some might say is fragile ground.
As a nationally sought after glass artist, Mitchell Smith has perfected his own technique for cutting and kiln-firing glass to emulate a painter's brush strokes. His sculptures, he says, are designed to enhance nature, and have found their way into private and public gardens both in the U.S. and abroad.
"It's a different way of thinking about glass," says Mitchell Smith, a self-taught artist who has worked as a designer and painter. "I think like a painter, and I treat my kiln like I would a canvas. It's just something I stumbled upon and it works for me."
Mitchell Smith's success with glass artistry has taken him across the country and to studios throughout Greater Lansing. In January 2014, the Lansing native brought the
Craig Mitchell Smith Glass studio home to Old Town and opened to the public on Feb. 13 after seven years at the Meridian Mall.
The 4,000-square feet of the once Estes Furniture Warehouse will provide Mitchell Smith and his staff of four with triple the amount of production space as his former studio, as well as 1,000 square feet for display or retail. He says he invested about $25,000 to overhaul the building's electrical, and to install new flooring and lighting in the gallery area.
"We greatly needed the expanded workspace," says Mitchell Smith. "I plan on offering more classes, too."
Mitchell Smith's work has been shown at the Detroit Institute of Arts, on HGTV and through numerous gallery and museum exhibits nationwide. He says he works primarily by commission, and is doing one-man shows that take him to places like the Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival, and the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum.
"We're taking the show on the road," says Mitchell Smith of his work with large public American gardens. "But this new space suits my needs beautifully. My home is on the Grand River as is this gallery, so in good weather, I plan on kayaking home."
Craig Mitchell Smith Glass will hold a grand opening on Sunday, Feb. 23, from noon to 5 p.m. The public is invited.
Source: Craig Mitchell Smith, Owner, Craig Mitchell Smith Glass
Writer: Ann Kammerer, Development News Editor
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