Heather Robyn Matthews, an award winning glass artist and furniture designer, has been a professional artist since 1979.
As founder of Heather Glass, her body of work ranges from table top sized sculptures to large architectural panels and carved glass and steel tables weighing up to several hundred pounds. She creates one-of-a-kind and limited edition pieces for residential, commercial, and corporate clients worldwide.

A life long artist, Heather was born in Sacramento, California, and educated in Europe and the United States. She studied drawing and printmaking in college, and although she was accepted to several prestigious art schools, Heather had become fascinated with the transparency and crystalline nature of glass. She began experimenting with carved and etched glass and many commissions followed for entries, partitions, and windows.

In the late 1980’s, Heather began designing and building carved glass and metal chairs, tables and screens. Although she works with several talented metalsmiths to produce her furniture, Heather does all of the design and finish work, and supervises the metal fabrication very closely. Her exquisite carving of both plate glass and crystal, reflect her years of experience in both design and execution in this medium, and her natural talent as an artist.

Heather has participated in many group shows and showcase homes, and her work has been seen at many charity auctions such as Hearts for the Arts, Stars, Hospice of Santa Cruz, Save Our Shores, and Friends of Long Marine Lab.  She participated in several group shows in the 1980’s and 90’s and also participated in Open Studios from 1987 through 1999.  For the last ten years, Heather has focused on one of a kind, site specific commissioned work in carved and etched glass.  She has worked for both commercial and residential clients. locally and nationally.  Some of her work can be seen at the Crows Nest Restaurant, Star of the Sea Catholic Church, Oakwood Memorial Chapel, Seymour Discovery Center at Long Marine Lab, and the Watsonville Superior Courthouse.

Carved glass has tremendous versatility both in design as well as application. We use many types of glass; laminate (“safety”), tempered, or plate in both clear and crystal. Clear glass has a blue/green tint that gives as underwater feel. Crystal is a white glass that has a warm feel, is neutral in color, and has the highest amount of light transmission. Both types are available in thicknesses of 3/8" to 3/4" and can be laminated even thicker.
Generally we like to use 1/2" or thicker laminate in commercial and public spaces because it meets all code requirements for safety and can be easily carved. Laminate can also be curved and can be constructed to meet “bullet proof” specifications. Maintenance is low for carved and etched glass. Fingerprints are easily wiped off with glass cleaner and in very high traffic areas with exposed etching, a coating can be put on the glass or the panels can be sandwiched to minimize cleaning.
Carved glass can be used for walls that are set directly into the floor, doors, partitions, guardrails, stairs, and furniture. Both sides of the glass can be carved to give a facetted, shadow-laced look, or it can be flatly frosted for a more structural feel. We can create landscapes or seascapes, or abstract patterns.
Pricing ranges from $100.00 per sq. ft. to $600.00 per sq. ft. depending on complexity, FOB Soquel, CA. The glass has infinite possibilities. With its wonderful shadows and patterns that change throughout the day, the excitement and viewer interaction that carved glass provides makes it an ideal and thought provoking addition to any space.