Andy from Starfish Designs started melting glass back in 1998 in Ashland, Oregon. “My first official piece was this mushroom marble, and I remember being so excited,” he recounts. With tons of inspiration around, he immersed himself in the glass-blowing culture, taking inspiration from observing others and working in different shops and studios until he was able to make it a full-time gig.
In 2005 Andy formed Starfish Designs and opened a production studio in Bend that focuses on unique and original designs. “We create from fire and desire,” Andy says. The studio has become known for the ‘Original Gandolf’ hand pipe and its creative variations that include tons of sandblasted colors, spiral and twisted necks, various sizes spanning a super mini half-inch pipe to a king-sized 22 inch Gandolf, and other color combinations.
The Starfish Armory collection is another unique flagship line for Starfish Designs, made up of original functional glass art weaponry replicas. The collection includes functional glass art in the form of grenades, knives, shotgun shells, fifty-caliber rounds, and other replicas.
Andy keeps active in the community that nurtured his passions by participating in Glass Vegas every winter in Las Vegas. If you have a storefront, stocking from Starfish Designs will definitely bring uniqueness to your shop. More customers than ever are interested in American-made pieces and Starfish is well known for its top-notch customer service and premium American-made production glass.
Consumers looking to score an Original Gandolf of their own can keep an eye out for the small star on each Starfish piece for authentication. Check out our map to find a heady shop near you.
