Shaping Stories in Glass: The Creative Process
About Preston Singletary
When I first began working with glass in 1982, I had no idea how deeply I would connect with the material. It wasn’t until I started incorporating Tlingit designs and stories—drawing from my lineage in the Eagle moiety, Kaagwaantaan Box House, Killer Whale clan—that my work took on a deeper sense of purpose. This artistic transformation allowed me to merge ancestral storytelling with a modern medium, giving voice to both my culture and my artistic vision.
I come from a long line of strong Tlingit women. My great-grandmother, Susie Johnson Bartlett Gubatayo, was born in Sitka, Alaska, in 1880 and later moved to Seattle, where she built a foundation for our family. My grandmother, Lillian Abada, raised my mother, Jean Abada, and my aunties, Andrina Abada and Theresa Sherman, almost entirely on her own. Their influence shaped my identity and instilled in me a profound connection to my heritage—one that continues to guide my work today.
Over time, my mastery of glassblowing and Tlingit formline design has evolved, deepening my understanding of both my ancestral roots and my chosen craft. This journey has not only shaped my personal artistic expression but has also positioned me as a significant contributor to contemporary Indigenous art.
My work challenges the notion that Native artists must only use traditional materials. By embracing glass as a storytelling medium, I seek to affirm our presence and identity, reinforcing that Indigenous cultures are dynamic, evolving, and rooted in resilience. Through my art, I strive to amplify Indigenous voices, ensuring that we are seen, heard, and recognized on our own terms.
In this Craft in America video Singletary describes his creative process and inspirations.
The Art Process
As noted in "Preston Singletary’s Process" to create a work of glass art, Singletary goes through a multi-step process that spans several days. First, the glass must be heated in a furnace to at least 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit to make it malleable. The molten glass is contained inside the furnace in a large container called a crucible. Then, a blowpipe (a metal pipe used to support the weight of the glass and also blow air into it) is inserted in the furnace and turned in the crucible until the molten glass attaches to it. Singletary blows and shapes the glass with the help of his assistants, moving back and forth from the steel workbench to the furnace to ensure the glass stays hot and malleable.
At this point, powdered colored glass is sifted onto the molten glass, melting into it and becoming fully incorporated. This process is repeated several times to build up multiple layers of color. Further shaping takes place until Singletary is satisfied with the result. Before moving forward in the process, the glass must be cooled slowly in an annealing oven for several days. If not cooled properly, inner stresses will develop and cause the glass to crack or even break.
Once the glass is fully cooled, Singletary works on the design that will be carved into the surface. Singletary often uses formline design, the primary artform used in Tlingit art, in his work. Formline utilizes lines that swell, contract, bend curve, and join to create a particular image or design.
To incorporate formline into glass, Singletary uses a unique process he calls “sandcarving” that he learned from fellow glass artist Kéké Cribbs while at the Pilchuck Glass School in Stanwood, WA. With this process, Singletary applies strips of rubber tape to his glass forms, on which he draws his design. He then cuts out the areas that he wants carved during the sandblasting process. The glass surface is carved away with fine grains of sand propelled by compressed air. The sand wears away at the different layers of glass, revealing the brilliant colors underneath.
