Michael Church, the man behind the glass and metal of Blown Glass Platters, started blowing glass & forming steel in Seattle in 1996 at Pratt Fine Arts Center. After learning his craft he was offered a position with Dale Chihuly’s glass team, and then with Martin Blank, one of Chihuly’s head glassblowers who went on to form his own studio team to pursue his work. In the years working with Martin and many other glass artists in Seattle, Michael focused on fine tuning his craft to create the blown glass & steel art designs seen in the gallery. After years of working with many shapes, he felt that working with spun out "rondel", Italian for round, captures the shapes & colors he is drawn to as an artist. He began creating the sets of platters as installations, and has sold them to collectors around the country for display in homes, offices and lobbies.

"Inspired by living in the Pacific Northwest, I am surrounded by a vigorous natural landscape. Plants, stone & water change quickly and through interaction broaden the spectrum of colors and textures. Shapes and forms made by natural forces ring a primeval bell deep in the human psyche. The shapes and forms you see are evocative of flowers, vines, jellyfish, seastars, and other natural forms. The colors are inspired by the myriad of patterns & colors found in those plants and animals. The creation of this art involves high temperatures, electricity, fire, and earth elements. The topics and feelings of the work reflect those natural forces. By bringing the perceived world through an inner process, I create a unique lens into the natural world that I share with the viewer. "