Ben Burton aka Burtoni got his start on the torch in 1999. He’s won the world over for his creative reimagining of exotic sometimes tropical flora and fauna. Some of his most recognizable pieces might be his flamingos, pelicans and other amazingly accurate renditions of avian species and sea life.
His unique color palette is often created by mixing existing colors to get the hues he seeks. Furthermore, his use of complementary aesthetics like UV or CFL reactive glass, crushed opals and dichroic glass always feels natural while very eye-catching. This really adds depth to his pieces, the coral reef scenes, clown fish, octopi and so much more of his realistic work, which will keep your eyes entertained for as long as you have time to gaze upon them.
A notable fact when looking at the timeline of Burtoni’s library of work is the amount of collaborative efforts he’s been a part of. His well-known and epic sculptural abilities naturally inspire others to want to make art with him, and his personality and humor make you want to hang out with him! As he’s stated many times, he feels extremely fortunate to continue creating with so many talented artists and friends.
Another one of Burtoni’s favorites to make is marbles. These spheres are a captivating way for the artist to work with many different application methods to create unbelievable images and scenes. From crazy milli implosions, fumed work, galaxies and opal encasements to the current line of Paradise Marbles, Ben’s work always stands out in a crowd.
He was raised in SoCal but began his glass-blowing career in Hawaii. Since then Ben has been a long-time staple of the glass scene in Denver, Colorado. Burtoni has always been a consummate traveler, constantly sending pics of his extensive travels – at the time of writing, I believe he was contacting me from Tokyo!
You can find Ben’s work online @burtoniglass on Instagram, and he also frequents Champs Glass Games and Glass Vegas.
Flamingo 9″ Tall Crushed opal Beak $2000
Paradise Marble collab with Windstar Glass 45mm $1500
