Glass Blowing - Hiram Toraason

At last year’s 2007 Lakeshore Arts Festival, Hiram Toraason dazzled everyone with his hand-crafted glass. The winner of Best in Category for glass, Toraason believes that it is important to take glass “out of a factory setting and [put] it into an artist’s hands to create fine art.” An ancient art form that can be traced back to the first-century B.C., glass blowing has become a popular form of artwork in the 21st century.

Born and raised in a small Illinois community know as Peru, Torasson experimented with oil painting, ceramics, printmaking and bronze casting when he was in high-school. He stumbled into glass work when he was in college and studied under acclaimed glass blower Bill Boyson. Torasson continued studying in Costa Rica and North Carolina before returning to Illinois in 2003. He now lives in Peoria with his wife and children and continues glass-blowing in his studio, Toraason Glass.



Torasson is not only a passionate man, but a fantastic artist. “I take a lot of pride in what I make and where I put it,” he says, “I’d like to think that everything I create is art.” And, it truly is magnificent art. We are very pleased to say that Hiram Torasson will be at the 2008 Lakeshore Festival again this year!

Make sure to stop by and discover all that Torasson Glass and the Lakeshore Arts Festival has to offer!