Bio:

Nick Leonoff was born in 1978 in Santa Clara, California. Nick began working with glass as an apprentice to Alan Masaoka, a stained glass artist in 1998. He received a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Pepperdine University in 2002. Nick returned to glass in 2004 when Alan Masaoka introduced him to glass blowing. He has studied at numerous Craft Schools around the country including Pilchuck Glass School, Haystack Mountain School of Crafts, Pittsburgh Glass Center, and the Studio at Corning. He has studied with many notable artists including Davide Salvedore, Martin Janecky, Jack Wax and Jiri Harcuba, to learn his craft and develop his skills. Nick also considers himself self-taught with the considerable amount of time he has spent refining his techniques. In 2011, Nick moved his studio to Brooklyn, NY to further pursue his artistic endeavors. After a very creative and developmental time in NYC, Nick returned to his hometown of Carmel Valley, CA. In 2017, Nick opened Leonoff Studios & Gallery where he creates his blown glass and shows his midrange works. He expanded in 2019 by opening a new showroom, Nick Leonoff Contemporary Glass Gallery to exhibit his blown and carved sculptures in Carmel Valley Village. Nick also continues to travel and exhibit his work at selected art fairs nationally.

Artist Statement:

The luminescent qualities of glass appeal to me as it responds to light. I am drawn to the potential of a material that can vary from a translucent to an opaque medium in a brilliant range of colors and gradations.

I create blown glass using Swedish overlay techniques layering colored glass in the walls and on the surface of the glass forms. I carve the surface of the pieces with diamond wheels to remove layers of glass and expose colors within the piece. The blown pieces become the canvas for the carving process and the carving becomes the core of the design in each piece. Through this coldworking process I have been able to explore the potential of the material and focus my artistic vision.

I am creating a relationship between the interior and exterior by juxtaposing opaque and translucent, glossy & matte, with light and dark. The balance that is revealed connects the conscious with the subconscious as the voice of the material emerges through the reflections of light.

Experience:

Masaoka Glass Design | Carmel Valley, CA | 2003-2006

Education:

Pepperdine University | Malibu, CA | 2000-2002
BS Business Administration

Monterey Peninsula College | Monterey, CA | 1997-2000
AA Business Administration

Continued Education:

The Studio – Corning Museum of Glass Corning, NY | July 2012
Scholarship: Jiri Harcuba & April Surgent - Zen Graving

The Studio – Corning Museum of Glass Corning, NY | Aug. 2011
George Kennard – Multiple Gathers

Pittsburgh Glass Center | Pittsburgh, PA | June 2011
Ross Richmond – From Phrase to Form

The Studio – Corning Museum of Glass | Corning, NY | June 2010
Martin Janecky – Blowing and Sculpting Inside the Bubble

The Studio - Corning Museum of Glass | Corning, NY | June 2009
Davide Salvadore - Creating and Using Murrine

Haystack | Deer Isle, ME | Aug 2008
Mountain School of Crafts
Scholarship: Jack Wax – No Answers in the Back of the Book

The Studio - Corning Museum of Glass | Corning, NY | July 2008
Scholarship: Anthony Schafermeyer & Claire Kelly – Playing With Pattern

Pilchuck Glass School | Stanwood, WA | May 2007
Greg Dietrich – Graal, Cameo, Battuto

Pittsburgh Glass Center | Pittsburgh, PA | June 2006
Kait Rhoads - Painting with Italian Patterning Techniques

Red Deer College | Red Deer, Alberta Canada | July 2005
Tyler Rock - Anatomy of the Vessel

Bay Area Glass Institute | San Jose, CA | Mar 2005
Treg Silkwood - Feet and Stems

Permanent Collections:

Chrysler Museum | Portal #100 | Norfolk, VA | 2021

Awards & Recognition

Best of Show - Glass | Kimball Arts Festival | Park City, UT | 2023

Best of Glass | Beverly Hills Art Fair | Beverly Hills, CA | 2023

Merit Award | Art of the Square | Southlake, TX | 2023

Featured Artist | Corning Glass Market | Corning, NY | 2022

Featured Artist | Smithsonian Craft Show | Washington, DC | 2022

Best of Category | La Quinta Arts Festival | La Quinta, CA | 2018

Artist Studios Residency | Museum of Arts & Design | New York, NY | 2016

Merit Award | Cherry Creek Arts Festival | Denver, CO | 2016

Niche Award Winner | Glass Category | Washington, DC | 2016

Best in Show: Lighting | BKLYN DESIGNS | Brooklyn, NY | 2015

Niche Award Winner | Glass Category | Philadelphia, PA | 2015

Niche Award Winner | Home Furnishings Category | Philadelphia, PA | 2015

Niche Award Finalist | Glass Category | Philadelphia, PA | 2014

Excellence in Glass | Smithsonian Craft Show | Washington, DC | 2013

Niche Award Winner | Glass Category | Philadelphia, PA | 2013

Niche Award Finalist | Home Furnishings Category | Philadelphia, PA | 2013

Excellence in Glass | Museum of Art-Craft Show | Philadelphia, PA | 2012

Award of Excellence | American Craft Council | San Francisco, CA | 2012

Selected Arts & Crafts Shows:

La Quinta Arts Festival | La Quinta, CA | March 2018 - 2023

ARTEXPO New York | New York, NY | April. 2018 - 2019

Philadelphia Museum Show | Philadelphia, PA | Nov. 2012 - 2017 & 2021

Loveland Sculpture in the Park | Loveland, CO | Aug. 2018 - 2021

Cherry Creek Arts Festival | Denver, CO | July 2014 - 2017 - 2021

Architectural Digest Show | New York, NY | Mar. 2016 & 2017

Sausalito Art Festival | Sausalito, CA | Aug 2014

Smithsonian Craft Show | Washington, DC | April 2013, 2018, 2019

Washington Craft Show | Washington, DC | Nov. 2012

American Craft Council | San Francisco, CA | Aug. 2010, 2012, 2014

CraftNewYork | New York, NY | April 2012

American Craft Council | Baltimore, MD | Feb. 2011 - 2017

Selected Solo Exhibitions:

“Transition” | Masaoka Design Gallery | Carmel Valley, CA | June - July 2010

Private Exhibition | Kourakos Residence | New York, NY | May 2010

“Play with Fire” | Masaoka Design Gallery | Carmel Valley, CA | Aug. - July 2009

“Coastal Lines” Public Installation | LALLA Grill | Monterey, CA | Sept. 2008 – Oct. 2009

“Coastal Lines” | Masaoka Design Gallery | Carmel Valley, CA | June - July 2008

Nick Leonoff “New Glass Forms” | Masaoka Design Gallery | Carmel Valley, CA | July – Aug. 2007

Nick Leonoff “New Glass Forms” | Masaoka Design Gallery | Carmel Valley, CA | May – June 2006

Selected Group Exhibitions:

“Texture & Tension” | Morgan Glass Gallery | Pittsburgh, PA | Sep. - Oct. 2014

“Art Glass” | Gallery North | Setauket, NY | Jun. - July 2012

Featured Artist | Corning Glass Museum | Corning, NY | Oct. 2011

“Objects” | Gallery North | Carmel, CA | Dec. 2007

Vidrio Del Mar “Sea of Glass” | Masaoka Design Gallery | Carmel Valley, CA | July – Aug. 2006

Benefits, Auctions & Events:

Liberty Museum Auction | Philadelphia, PA | 2013

Pilchuck Glass Auction | Stanwood, WA | 2007 - 2011

Associations:

American Craft Council

ACGA Association of Clay & Glass Artists of California

Monterey County Artist Equity

Glass Art Society