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©Dirk Bleicker
©All rights reserved
©Paul Driver
©Yeshen Venema

Michael Ruh

  • Glassblower
  • London, United Kingdom
  • Master Artisan
Michael Ruh Glassblower
Contact
English, Dutch, German, Spanish
Hours:
By appointment only
Phone:
+44 2086712000
©Paul Driver

Life lines, glass lines

  • • Michael creates glassware for individuals and brands
  • • He is often inspired by American landscapes
  • • His signature technique is marking lines in glass

Michael Ruh recalls being enthralled when he first saw glass being made at a colonial fair in Missouri. But it was not until he enrolled in a fine arts institute in Belgium to study sculpture that he had a chance to work with the material. “My first glass object was a small bubble in glass, thick and lumpy, the size of a golf ball. It had no purpose and was unusable – but I had never been prouder,” he says. After he met partner Natascha Wahl, together they founded their London studio, one of the few studios in the UK that uses fully recycled optical quality glass. There, Michael makes visually stimulating coloured glass objects, into which he incises lines when the glass is still hot – a technique that has since come to distinguish his work.

Read the full interview

Works

  • ©Yeshen Venema
  • ©Yeshen Venema
  • ©Yeshen Venema
  • ©Yeshen Venema
  • ©Yeshen Venema
Photo: ©Yeshen Venema
Handblown Gota whiskey set

Handblown by Michael Ruh, the decanter form is unembellished and clear, with a cork and turned brass stopper that lends gravitas and ceremony to the simple form. Accompanying the decanter are two clear whiskey glasses. Gota means a drop of water in Spanish.

Photo: ©Yeshen Venema
Large Luna Glass pendant light

Crafted from pure, optical-quality glass and handblown by Michael Ruh, the Luna pendant light shape is formed by pushing the inflated glass into a bucket of rolled-up newspaper, so that each one is unique.

Photo: ©Yeshen Venema
Medium String glass vase

This is a decorative and functional glass vase in a magnolia colour. It features Michael Ruh's delicate signature of lines spun around the inside.

Photo: ©Yeshen Venema
Summer pitcher

This handblown steel blue glass jug features Michael Ruh's line-work inscribed into the surface. This involves a process of incising into the near-finished shape when hot.

Photo: ©Yeshen Venema
Salad bowl and servers

These utilitarian glass bowls are crafted from pure clear optical-quality glass with the lip folds inwards to keep the salad leaves firmly in place when serving.

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