Get to know our Vendors: Introducing Fiona Phoenix Fire Glass
This week, we are putting the spotlight on one of our favorite vendors, Fiona Phoenix Fire, a visionary artist whose work balances staying true to her calling and carving out a beautiful niche in this wild world of glass-blowing. This incredible artist fuses her heritage, nature, and her many diverse experiences into all of her gorgeous pieces. Read on to learn more about Fiona; you’re really going to want some of her work after you learn more. Hint hint: she’s awesome!
About Fiona Phoenix Fire
Fiona Phoenix Fire hails originally from San Diego California, and she has lived in Oregon for over 20 years. Both places have rich natural beauty and ancient cultural roots that provide an endless source of inspiration that fuels her work.
Fiona has been creating art her whole life; it’s the very essence of her being. In school, she was part of the theater club, and she spent her time writing poetry, painting, and photography. She first saw lampworking in 2010 and fell in love with the torch immediately, totally mesmerized by the art form. Her partner Turtle soon introduced her to the glass pipe scene at the Eugene Glass School Flame Off and that was it! She knew she found her community.
Fiona’s Unique Blown Glass Style While some artists are driven to constantly evolve and push creative limits, Fiona’s style hasn't actually changed much over time; that’s one of the most remarkable things about her! The first functional piece she ever made was a ceremonial glass pipe with a little feather wrapped around it; much like the mini ones she offers today. Instead, she is more focused on developing her dot work techniques on her glass pipes to execute her signature designs in a more functional manner. Known for her creative beaded effects, such as this stunning ceremonial glass pipe, she aims to create more complicated designs along the same theme of ceremonial smoke wear.
Her Inspiration Runs Deep
Fiona Phoenix Fire is continuously inspired by the resilience of her ancestors and the wisdom that has been preserved in the face of global colonization. Her heritage is a mix of Scandinavian, Irish, and Cherokee, and all of these cultures have traditional practices that harmonize the balance of community and its place within the land. On a personal level, Fiona relies on daily personal rituals to stay connected to nature, and nature is full of inspiration for her. Additionally, she greatly values her local community, dances, and ceremonies - and even karaoke at the local watering hole. She maintains that a sacred life is also a silly life and we are here on earth to enjoy ourselves and to take care of ourselves and one another.
Because modern society is deeply isolating, Fiona believes strongly in the practices that keep us connected to the tapestry of family lineage, our plant and animal relatives, and our village. These deep connections have been intentionally suppressed for hundreds of years, and as a result, so many people lose their sense of worth or purpose.
As an artist, Fiona wants her work to feel like a magical ritual tool that connects people to each other, their higher selves, the ones who came before, and future generations. She sees her art as a gift she uses to share with the world, by creating tools that help others deepen their self-care rituals, work with plant medicine, and to help others stay open-hearted.
As an artist, she struggles with balancing her own visions with trends, while running a creative business in an environment of late-stage capitalism which can be a bleak environment full of unpredictable economic pressure. Despite this, however, she maintains immense gratitude for the ability to create art for a living and the support she receives within this uplifting community!
Looking Ahead
Looking to the future, Fiona Phoenix Fire is inspired and positive about where the glass-blown pipe and bong market is headed.
She thinks the increased visibility and customer education are wonderful and she’s happy to see that the larger art community is becoming more accepting of the functional forms being created in this industry. Despite the few downsides, she trusts that everyone gets out what they put in so if we stay in good standing with each other, it's all gonna be fine.
Get Some Fiona Phoenix Fire Pieces Today!
And we couldn’t agree more! We’d like to give a huge thank you to Fiona for such an in-depth, meaningful, and intelligent interview. Please go check out our amazing Fiona Phoenix Fire collection and purchase a few of these beauties today!
