Loretta Eby & Jeff Jackson

The talented duo of Loretta Eby and Jeff Jackson first combined metal and glass over a decade ago. This collaboration has produced a wide range of contemporary sculpture -- some with historical references and others with an eye to the 21st century.

Eby, a well-known glass artist, creates open vessel forms juxtaposed with Jackson’s metalwork. Whether polished steel, rusted iron or grates, the metal is the framework for Eby’s glass. The sandblasted blown vessels in the contemporary sculptures often contain “artsticks,” long slender pieces of glass, and an occasional piece of curled steel.

In the Middle Ages witch bottles were created with an opening to trap “evil spirits” and hung over the door while the glassblower was away at war. Taking a page from history, Eby and Jackson also are creating a 1990s sculpted version of the witch bottle.

Eby graduated from the Cleveland Institute of Art with a major in glass and minor in printmaking and studied at Penland School of Crafts, Pilchuck Glass Center and Haystack. Jackson, self-taught, has been involved with both glass and metal for over 25 years.

Their work is included in such collections as Crown Zellerbach Corporation, National Bartlett Pear Association, Hilton and Hyatt Hotels and Walt Disney World.