Meet the Owner
| Evan Burnette
Local Art Glass was established in 2010 by artist and designer Evan Burnette. Burnette was born in Springfield, Illinois, the son of a community theater organizer and history teacher, and a professional photographer. He earned his BFA in glass art from Southern Illinois University and his MFA from Ball State University. Burnette settled in the glass mecca of the Pacific Northwest, where he has taught glassblowing to the public in both Oregon and Alaska, and established a growing production and educational studio.
In addition to being head designer at Local Art Glass and the #1 seller of glass ornaments on Etsy, Burnette also works as a fine artist. His work integrates many of the tenets of early twentieth-century Surrealist thought, along with psychological, aesthetic, and ethical issues related to humor and our post-modern consumerist society. He is interested in the concepts of both physical and mental play, disengagements from the seriousness of both life and the fine art world. His pieces mainly lie in the realm of “Comic Surrealism,” which is predicated on themes of silliness and absurdist humor permeating beautiful, concrete forms. Burnette’s artwork has received finalist status in the Illinois Governor’s Collegiate Art Competition, the Rickert Ziebolt Trust Awards, the National Sculpture Society Awards, the Niche Awards, and Bullseye Glass’s Emerge and TG exhibitions, among others. His work was also featured in the Corning Museum of Glass's New Glass Review 38. Burnette was one of five MFA graduates chosen for the Urban Glass Biannual “Fresh Masters” exhibition in Brooklyn, New York, in 2018. His work may be viewed at: www.evanburnetteart.com
OPB's
"Think Out Loud”
Interview with Evan Burnette and OPB’s Think Out Loud” with Dave Miller, March 17
Evan Burnette, owner and head designer of Portland's Local Art Glass, drips molten glass onto a metal table in his studio. Burnette says molten glass can reach temperatures hotter than lava, but the steel table cools it enough to shape.
Meet our Team
David Ashby
Dave Ashby first encountered the art of glassblowing at a Renaissance fair in upstate New York when he was just 10 years old. Enthralled by the process, he watched glass artisans at work for over five hours. This experience ignited a passion for the craft that later guided him to pursue a Bachelor of Fine Arts at Alfred University in western upstate New York, where he concentrated on glassblowing.
ave specializes in working with clear glass and thrives on the challenge of creating unique, custom pieces. One of his favorite aspects of the craft is saying “yes” to out-of-the-ordinary requests, knowing he has the skill and creativity to execute them flawlessly.
Driven by his love for glass and an ever-evolving artistic vision, Dave continues to push the limits of his craft, creating stunning pieces that showcase his mastery of the medium.
Kelly McCabe
Kelley McCabe is originally from Fort Worth, Texas. Her journey with glass began nearby in Grapevine, where she first witnessed live glassblowing. After signing up for a "make your own ornament" class, the rest was "herstory." Kelley began helping around the shop and eventually asked the owner how she could pursue the craft seriously. He directed her to a local college that offered glassblowing as a major, leading her to enroll at the University of Texas at Arlington.
After pivoting her major from Science to Art, Kelley never looked back. She graduated in 2015, earning first place across all mediums at her Bachelor of Fine Arts graduation show. Following a year spent working in the industry, she pursued a two-year degree from Salem Community College, specializing in scientific glass apparatus. There, she balanced artistic soft glass blowing with technical training in creating labware for chemists.
In 2024, Kelley moved from Fort Worth to Portland, Oregon. She joined the Local Glass Art crew in November of that year, where she now teaches classes, assists with studio production, and rents time to develop her personal portfolio. In addition to her studio work, she runs a small business from her home shop. While she enjoys all aspects of the craft, Kelley predominantly works with clear glass for her personal projects and loves sharing her knowledge with anyone who visits the studio.
Leonard Cheeseburgers
Meet Leonard Cheeseburgers Burnette, our Beagle and official Floor Manager. A little shy but always alert, Leonard takes his job as the studio "doorbell" seriously, greeting visitors with enthusiasm and ensuring everyone knows when someone has arrived. He’s very particular about his cheese choices, and when he’s not busy managing the studio, you’ll find him hanging out with his dad, Evan, and his favorite plush cheeseburger. In charge of keeping things running smoothly, Leonard truly runs the show here at the studio!