Growing up near Fort Worth, Texas and living for many years in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, Kelly Powell now enjoys living on the beautiful Central Coast of California.

Kelly was first introduced to his craft while watching glass blowers at renaissance festivals. He was fascinated with their work, and developed an interest in learning everything he could about the creative process. In 2007, Jay McIver, a talented glass artist from Gainesville, Florida, gave Kelly his first torch and showed him the basics of glassblowing. From that point on, Kelly was hooked.

Being primarily self taught, Kelly embarked on his creative quest, employing techniques gleened from books, trade magazines and videos.

When asked to validate his passion for working in glass, Kelly explains; "It's impossible to focus on anything else when working with glass in a 2,500 degree flame. I lose myself in the process for hours. I struggle with PTSD and Autism Spectrum Disorder, and glass blowing has changed my life in many ways. It brings me calm satisfation and confidence. My craft allows me to share my true self with others."