Life & Work with Sam Spees

Today we’d like to introduce you to Sam Spees.

Hi Sam, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstories with our readers.
Growing up in a very athletic atmosphere, sports have always been an integral part of my life. Being a part of a team was something that came very naturally, as well as the competitive drive to win and succeed. As the oldest of five kids, there was an inherited leadership role that drove my passion to be an inspiration to my younger siblings. This definitely translated to the field as football became my focus in high school and later at Centre College in Danville, KY. Those formative years gave me some of my best friends and these experiences truly shaped me as a friend, teammate, captain, and person.

It was also at Centre College where I met a man, Stephen Rolfe Powell, who helped change the course of my life from sports to art. He was my first glassblowing instructor and became an irreplaceable mentor and friend. Pushing me to pursue glassblowing and art as a profession, I found myself on a path that I had never expected to be on. Since my time at the Centre, I have traveled around the country and have worked with some of the most amazing glass artists in the world. Additionally, my own skills and work have grown tremendously from having those opportunities to learn from the masters of the craft.

Always trying to get to the next milestone, I was approached by a friend from Centre named Wyatt Maxwell about a unique opportunity to help start a glassblowing studio and gallery in Nashville. Having moved here last fall to begin the construction, I am very excited to be a part of this community!

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I think we all wish it was smoother! Anything in life worth fighting for is not going to be easy. Physically, glassblowing is a demanding process and maintaining physical health sometimes can be a struggle, especially because you cannot control everything. Late nights and hot days can also make the studio intimidating, but it is days like that that make you better. Problem solving and quick decision making have emerged as important things to take away from the process.

Also, we all have personal/family struggles that we have to deal with and sometimes those can be the hardest.

Acknowledging those issues and working through them is of the utmost importance, even if you know it will be difficult. For me, it helps to stay in the present as much as I can, while also knowing what my goals are and continuing to make daily strides to accomplish those goals.

I think arguably the largest thing for me has been my relationships developed over the years. Even though it can be a roller coaster at times, knowing there are people in your corner can really turn a challenging situation into a smooth one.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Throughout this journey, I have worked in almost every role in both public and private glass studios. My first job in the glassblowing industry was an unpaid apprentice that worked at multiple restaurants to pay my bills. Since then I have climbed the ladder working in various studios and for various glass artists as a technician, assistant, and coordinator. It is exciting to be in the director role as all of these experiences have led me to an opportunity like this.

My own artwork has evolved tremendously, as well as my involvement with the designing of glass and decorative objects. My work embodies the mental process and physical techniques of glassmaking to make work that is playful, experimental, and technical. In turn, I create a wide array of both functional and sculptural objects through a lens perceiving the world through color, memories, and sensory experiences. The lens through which we all perceive the world is of particular interest to me as I love other people’s interpretations of my work, as well as learning how other people see the world. With the combination of glass’ optical qualities and using the material itself as the inception of the experimentation, I feel the doors of possibilities are just beginning to open.

Also, I am a perfectionist and want everything I make to be the best it possibly can be. This creates a never-ending journey of learning and creation. Lastly, glassblowing is a challenging craft that requires a great amount of singular focus and years of practice to develop the skill necessary to make ideas come to fruition. The willingness to be a forever student of the material is something like nothing else I have ever experienced.

Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
Our studio in Berry Hill will be open in late spring/early summer and will contain a variety of services including a coffee shop/bar, event space, glass art gallery, and the glassblowing studio where you will be able to watch us work in person! It will be called the Nashville Glasshaüs!

Thank you very much for the opportunity to share on this platform!

Pricing:

• Daywalker, $2450
• Lens Olive glassware, $43
• Lens Pendant series, prices vary.
• Candy Cane, NFS

Contact Info:

• Website: www.samfspees.com
• Instagram: @samspees
• Other: www.nashvilleglasshaus.com 

Image Credits
Matthew Cletus Photography, Daywalker, and Rachel Pressley