Paul Harrie’s work is perfect – or he doesn’t send it out.

Paul Harrie, born in North Dakota in 1951, searches to capture the pristine quality of new snow and the clear icy light of winters reminiscent of of his childhood. He wants to make something that gives the impression of opening up, peering into ice, or looking into a geode. Paul's Saturn pieces are an example of this. They are blown glass spheres with multiple layers of colored and clear glass, sometimes with tiny cane wrapped around a central core. When cool, the sphere is cut open like a geode, then faceted and polished.

His work reveals an interest in classical form, contemporary design and bright clean colors. "I use a number of color techniques: colored glass canes to produce precise striping, colored powders to create layers, and solid color to create color fields." Pieces are hand blown, then cut, and polished, with considerable skill and attention to detail.

Paul has had his own studio in Southern California since 1980 where he does all the blowing. "In all my work I place a premium on the quality of my glass, using only the finest materials and the most exacting standards.

He taught for several years as glass instructor at the Long Beach and Northridge Campuses of the CaliforniaStateUniversity and as assistant glass instructor at UCLA.

Paul’s work is currently exhibited in galleries all over North America., and has also been exhibited at the NelsonArt Museum in Kansas City and the RoyalArtGallery in Kyoto, Japan.

In 1980 and 1981 his work was selected for publication in the Corning Museum of Glass’ New Glass Review 2.

Paul’s work has also been an integral part of By the Bay Gallery’s collection of fine contemporary crafts since 1995.