Elodie Holmes
Elodie Holmes is an internationally acclaimed artist of the contemporary glass movement who has spent more than 35 years honing her craft.
Elodie Holmes
Santa Fe
2016 Recipient, Artist, Glass
Elodie Holmes is an internationally acclaimed artist of the contemporary glass movement who has spent more than 35 years honing her craft.
Born in 1959 into a family of artists in Washington, D.C., Holmes began studying ceramics at a young age and later at Montgomery College in Maryland. She went on to study at the California College of the Arts where she met Marvin Lipofsky, one of the founders of the studio glass art movement, who would become her teacher, mentor and life-long friend.
As her initial passion for ceramics gave way to hot glass, Holmes moved to New Mexico in 1981 to co-manage a glass shop and to develop her body of work. Three years later, she became a teaching assistant to Lipofsky and Fritz Dreisbach at the Pilchuck Glass Studio in Seattle. She moved back to New Mexico and started Liquid Light Glass in 1986.
"Elodie is a ballerina in the dance of glass," said Amy Summa, arts education coordinator for the Santa Fe Public Schools, whose late husband Henry was a renowned glass artist. "When so many glass blowers were suffering through the ups and downs of the economy, Elodie's business continued to flourish." In 2000, Holmes founded Baca Street Studios and the Baca Street Arts District. In 2004, she co-founded Prairie Dog Glass, a second instructional glass blowing studio where artists can learn, practice, and sell their work in a professional setting. "Holmes has developed a broad understanding of the technical aspects of working in glass and has parlayed this into pushing known techniques to new heights and directions," said art consultant Jane Sauer. "She has been fearless in seeking new ways to expand her chosen media."
Holmes' glass pieces are showcased in hundreds of collections, including the White House Permanent Collection. "Elodie is one of those rare talents who not only creates her own work but also encourages, mentors and supports other artists," said John O'Hern of Santa Fe. Holmes' awards include the 2015 Glass Alliance — New Mexico Reflections Award.