This Article was featured in January/February 2005 Chicago Home & Garden Magazine. pp. 27-31
UNDER THE SEA by Anne F. Wangman

Long enchanted by the sea, Lake County's Peter Patterson's art is born of his fascination with their waters. Looking to the oceans, he melds fluid motions...waves, ripples, ebbs, and tides...with exotic elements found beneath the surface...fish, anemones, fomations, and habitats...tocreate mystical, magical glassworks. Underwater worlds find expression through his craft and he finds inspiration in their beauty.

Indeed, spectacular pools of color are created by Peter's steady hand. The results are nothing short of magnificent. Surfaces are layered with color overlays, minute bubbles, and millefiori. Stunning visuals are created by numerous color applications and chemical combinations. Reflective glass reacts to changes in the light. Crushed glass fragments and color rods are reborn in original designs. "Glo glass" contains a phosphorous that glows in the dark. Glass comes alive in ways not seen before.

Although he loves the sea, Peter also looks to other elements of nature for ideas. Plants, flowers, and other natural material feeds his imagination too. "I'm always looking for new ways to express myself through color, light, sources of inspiration, and other techniques. I like to reinvent and experiment with my craft," he offers. And, he never fails to surprise. In a total departure from his brilliant use of color, Peter also works with sand-blasted, acid-etched glass. The resulting pieces are devoid of color and have a soft, frosty, velvet-like finish completely different than many of the shiny, smooth, brightly-colored works typically associated with his style.

The precise origins of glass are not known, but the art of glass blowing is thought to have been conceived around 50 BC. Many fragments and complete pieces of ancient glass artifacts still exist. Although we take for granted that glass in windows and doors, mirrors, windshields, and picture frames is typical of modern households, glass was at one time a treasured commodity accessible to only the very rich and limited in size to small vases, perfume flasks and other vessels. The development of the art of glassblowing made the combination of skillfully crafted molten lime, sand, and sodium carbonate available to the masses. Platters, vases, paperweights, and sculptures are just a fraction of what can be created today.

Many of the techniques Peter employs have been around since glassblowing was first developed. Additionally, he custom builds all his furnaces and equipment. But Peter does not rely completely on traditional means. He uses computers to help regulate cycles of the ovens which temper the glass. However, it is his own adeptness in mastering his medium that is awe-inspiring. Every step of the creative process is controlled with Peter's extraordinary dexterity. Thick gloves, although providing protection, are an extra challenge as he skillfully manipulates tools that bend, shape, roll, fuse, combine, and twist glass tht has been heated to 2500 degrees. After removing the mound of molten glass, called a "gather," from the furnace, which is kept on all the time, Peter's creations are formed by "blowing" air through the end of a hollow iron tube called a "blowpipe." Then the gather is rolled across a metal table and a tool dipped in water run across the gather's exterior to help cool and shape it. Glass that has cooled too quickly to be manipulated can be reheated in one of three small, medium, or large reheating chambers, referred to as "glory holes." A variety of tools, from jacks and rods to shears and blocks, helps Peter form his unique creations. Grinding the glass follows. He repeats this process thousands of times, working year-round in his Mundelein workshop and studio, regardless of the temperature outside. "It is generally toasty in here during the winter and quite comfortable most of the time. Sometimes is gets a little warm in the summer though," he quips.

Peter has developed a loyal following. Lesley Strauss of Glencoe started collecting his art twelve years ago. After receiving one of his perfume bottles as a birthday present from a friend, she was instantly hooked. She has been giving Peter's creations to family and friends as gifts for years, as well as treating herself to his pieces. Her collection, which now numbers more than a dozen, is artfully displayed in a lighted cabinet she bought specifically to house the pieces. "Peter's work is beautiful," Lesley comments. "My collection always brightens my day. I especially love giving his work to young people, so they can start their own collections." A special note accompanies each gift she gives, telling the recipient a little about the piece. Lesley keeps track of what she gives and attends all of Peter's open houses. "I arrive with my list," she laughs. Birthdays, bar mitzvahs, housewarmings, graduations, and weddings are all celebrated with special pieces she carefully selects. "Peter's works are always new and fresh. He experiments with new styles and techniques and will do custom colors for clients too. In addition to his talent, his kindness is evident and I consider him a friend." Even Lesley's mother is a fan of Peter's work and sometimes arranges her trips from New Jersey to coincide with his open houses.

Lynn Komessar, owner of the Highland Park gift gallery Pieces, has carried Peter's work since the early 1990s. She finds his use of color to be one of the most exciting aspects of his designs. "Peter works with a lot of color variations that other artists don't - pinks, purples, ambers. Many of my customers buy two or three of his smaller pieces at a time and scatter them on tabletops or arrange them in groupings. Peter's work is more like sculpture. You are not just purchasing a bowl or a paperweight. "

While Peter's work is displayed in galleries and at art shows around the country, one of his most important commissions came from former Illinois governer James Thompson. During his term in office, visiting dignataries from around the globe received paperweights he designed and created.

Peter's art is constantly changing and evolving. He clearly loves his craft and appreciates those who do too. After twenty years in the business, he now shares his passion with others by teaching classes in the art of glassblowing, adding yet another dimension to his career. As Lynn opines, "Peter is such a talented and versatile artist. I never want anyone to leave my shop without a smile. With Peter's works, you always leave with a smile."