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Chris Heilman creates wonderfully detailed sculptures and vases. Chris was born in New Haven Connecticut in 1950. He has studied glass at Dayton Art Institute, the renowned Pilchuck Glass Center, Ohio University, and the Experimental Glass Workshop in New York. His work is shown in major galleries throughout the United States. Chris Heilman achieves incredible details in his work though a technique called lampworking. This process begins by forming numerous small glass rods and canes in various colors, called murrini. He then uses a focused torch to melt the rods into the glass painting and forming the image form the inside out in a series of many layers. Once he is satisfied the entire piece is encased in clear crystal adding depth and vibrancy to the colors. ¡°I strive for authenticity,¡± Heilman explains, ¡°but I don¡¯t plan or sketch the pieces. It happens spontaneously. I make the actual fish I have seen, but I think technically of the colors together; the pieces, to me, are about color, about playing with color.¡±