David Goldhagen sometimes uses a torch to give his glass sculptures a smooth exterior. photograph by Tim Robison

In a studio on the site of a former hay barn near Lake Chatuge in Hayesville, David Goldhagen carefully dips a blowpipe into a furnace and pulls out a ball of molten glass that’s more than 2,000 degrees.

He turns it, slowly cooling, smoothing, and reheating, before adding brilliant shards of crimson and gold. He again reheats the evolving mass and, using jacks, shears, and tweezers, continues the process of layering and blowing, pulling and stretching, coaxing the piece into an elegant heart.

For more than 40 years, Goldhagen has created about 10 glass sculptures every day — usually hearts, angels, rainbows, and infinity signs, designed with a sleek and modern flair in a kaleidoscope of colors. Sometimes, his work is commissioned for a specific, meaningful purpose: He recently made a series of glass sunflowers for a mother in remembrance of her daughter.

He creates pieces with a modern design — like Red Spiral (left) and Paradise Floral Flame — on land that’s been in his family since 1957. photograph by Tim Robison

“[Glassblowing] is my version of poetry,” he says. “The piece is the story; it’s the poem. When you read, you get inspiration, but in this case, you have this visual piece that’s inspiring.”

Goldhagen’s glass sculptures take many abstract forms, but his vases holding particularly fragile flowers are easy to spot in a display. photograph by Tim Robison

While earning an English degree at Tulane University in New Orleans, Goldhagen took his first glassblowing course as an elective. A professor encouraged him to follow his dream of becoming an artist. After graduation, he honed his skills at the Pilchuck Glass School in Seattle and the Penland School of Craft in Bakersville before deciding to build a studio on his family’s homestead in 1979.

Now, Goldhagen’s art can be found across the United States and in permanent collections throughout North Carolina, including at the North Carolina Museum of History in Raleigh and the Asheville Art Museum. Visitors who live close to Goldhagen’s studio regularly stop by to watch the artist at work, manipulating liquid glass in a dance that reflects his imagination and innovation, contemplation and creativity.

Goldhagen Art Glass
7 Goldhagen Studio Drive
Hayesville, NC 28904
(828) 360-2495
goldhagenartglass.com