Joe Morrison
@Joemorrisonglass
Eau Claire, Wisconsin
“I’ve always been creative, and originally, glass blowing was just something I could do that was pretty awesome,” says Joe Morgan. “I could make my own pipes and impress all the girls.”
That was back around 2005. Now Joe has a family with a young son and daughter. During the day, he plays Mr. Mom, and after his wife comes home from work and the kids are asleep he retreats to his studio where he blows glass till the wee hours of the morning.
Joe started out making prodo pieces, which he still does, and which he takes great pride in — he’s got six different products in 30 color combinations. It’s a way for him to make a living so he can make the really cool pieces that are his passion.
He loves the challenge of sculpting what he calls “frame-working” where after he forms the shape, whether it be a guitar or a Corvette, he painstakingly fills in the empty spaces — a piece like a mandolin can take up to 80 hours to complete and has more than a thousand welds.
You might know Joe as the “Octopus Guy.” Many of his dab rigs and sherlocks are sculpted with lifelike tentacled sea creatures.
“They’re fun to make. It’s easy to take some liberties with because it could be something in the sea that you don’t know about that is only lurking in my mind,” Joe says. “It’s cool to see octopus in a lot of different colors — pulling from nature is always a good place to start.
“I have a real desire to melt glass and make something more,” Joe adds,” I’m really pushing myself to a point where I’m making what I want and what I think is cool.”
Joe Morrison
@Joemorrisonglass
Eau Claire, Wisconsin
