Josh Simpson: 50 Years of Visionary Glass

Through more than 550 beautiful photos and informative (and humorous) narration by the artist, this visual experience reveals the evolution of Josh Simpson’s evocative glass art over the past 50 years. In-depth looks at his several signature series and experimental works illustrate how Simpson has continually explored new ways to express—in glass—his fascination with outer space, the natural world, and the workings of the universe. Throughout, text and and photo spreads narrate the story of Simpson’s less well-known works, details of his life and process, and his contributions within the craft world. Text by experts in the glass world, including William Warmus, Tina Oldknow, Nezka Pfeifer, and others, supplies additional views. Plus, strategically placed comments from numerous museum curators, along with insights from astrophysicists and space flight professionals, present a unique perspective on the meanings and broad appeal of Simpson’s glass.

About the Author :
Josh Simpson is a world-renowned contemporary glass artist known also for his chemical innovations in inventing new glass types. His work is in the collections of the Corning Museum of Glass, the White House Collection of Crafts, the Smithsonian’s Renwick Gallery, Chrysler Museum of Art, and dozens more. He lives in Shelburne Falls, Massachusetts. www.megaplanet.com

Review :
"This expansive, beautiful volume is supposedly 'just' the story of Josh Simpson’s career. In truth it’s the story of the entire studio glass movement, seen through the life of one of the movement’s most prolific creators and steadfast teachers." “A statement toward the end of this book (page 285) perhaps says it best: ‘In 1971, Josh Simpson found a calling that he couldn’t resist, and in the years that followed, the allure of this magical material never left him.’ His sense of wonder, enthusiasm, creativity, innate artistry and boundless energy, along with a dedication never to admit defeat in the face of frustrations and failures, led Simpson to develop startling new effects which he used to create a stunning body of work over the past fifty years. This book, filled with glorious photographs of his remarkable creations, placed within the framework of his odyssey, is filled with technical and personal insights and self-deprecating humor that helps explain why he has enjoyed such a spectacular and consequential career.” “Each day over the last 20 years I look at the Josh Simpson Planet on my desk and marvel . . . I now realize how incredible his journey has been to get on the other side of artistic complexity in creating clear beauty in glass that cannot help but connect all who see his work to the world around them.” “I’ve known Josh for 45 of these 50 visionary years and have learned more about him from the insightful essays and his own humorous commentary in this beautifully illustrated book.” "Much more than one glass blower’s personal journey, Josh Simpson’s story speaks of the universal quest to find and follow one’s dream. Whether realized in the fires of a glass furnace, found aloft in the cockpit of a plane, or in creating small treasures that lay waiting to be re-discovered in some of the planet’s most unlikely places,  Simpson’s life epitomizes Emerson’s maxim “Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.”