Check Out Jake Pfeifer’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jake Pfeifer.

Hi Jake, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today.
I was on a vacation in Bermuda when I first saw Glass when I was 13 years old, and I thought it was the coolest thing I had ever seen. After that vacation, I started working for a man in Hillsboro NJ who was a local glass blower, and I would anytime I could after school and on weekends to just be around glass. After graduating high school, I went to RIT to get my BFA in glass and glass sculpture.

Soon after I finished I worked for a number of artists in my hometown of Louisville ky, and soon started Hot Glass Alley and started working out of a public access studio as my business grew. Once I built my business up enough I started looking at where to plant HGA permit home and after visiting many cities on the East Coasts, I choose Charlotte NC. I fell in love with how welcoming and vivid the community is, and I knew I had to plant my Hot Shop here.

Fast forward to five years later. We are growing more than we could have ever imagined. We have 14 staff members, we host open demos, and classes, and do all kinds of public art projects, commissions, and interior design. I am so proud of how far we have come, and I can’t wait to see what year 10 will look like!

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?
For the most part, it has been smooth over all but the hardest part was growing more than I could personally keep up with which required me to rely more on others and my team to build the dream.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
People ask me what inspires me. I am a curious person which often leads to my artistic inspiration. I love rainy days, Christmas, art museums, golf, walking in the woods, waterfalls, the ocean, music, fishing, and movies that take me to places I’ve never been. The formula for my work is personal. I am focused; each piece receives my enthusiasm, perseverance for excellence, and dedication to uncompromising quality.

My vision for each piece encompasses an understanding of the properties and movement of glass and the application of color. I want to engage people to look at the work over and over, finding something new and beautiful each time. In the end, I trust each piece promotes an understanding and appreciation of glass art. Whenever I part with a piece of my glass, I feel a piece of my life goes with it. Each piece is part of my journey.

My favorite pattern to make is the reticello (Italian cane patterns and techniques) and the color is what I am most known for in my body of work. I have a drive for technical and detailed work in glass. You have to have a very strong hand-eye coronation to create a lot of these historical patterns.

Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
Being in my Hot Shop is my happy place. It is where all the world is put on pause and all that is left is just me and glass. Everything is just more simple there.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.hotglassalley.com/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063474346060
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@hotglassalley