2019 Artist At Expo

I feel like I have been a Kaleidosope artist forever. Growing up I was part of a busy and curious family. I made my first scope when I was nine from old encyclopedia instructions.
In the early 1970's, after college (BFA Painting) and graduate school( Art History/Art Education) I taught briefly until kaleidoscopes became my life and livelihood. Since then I have designed of hundreds of kaleidoscopes. I have had two books published; The Kids' Book of Kaleidoscopes, 1994, and Kaleidoscopia, 2014. In both of these books I tried to share my love of kaleidoscopes by passing to others many ways to make them and information to stimulate new ideas.
My love of Cozy Baker motivated many new ideas and designs. She was an inspiration that continues to push the BKS forward. Along with Sherry Moser and Charles Karadimos, I was honored to be part of the trio of directors that helped the BKS to transition and become what it is today.
A grand surprise was mine in 2018 when the BKS awarded me the Cozette Award. I still burst with pride.
In 2019 I changed my life by passing on the reigns, wheels and mirrors of my business, C.Bennett Scopes, to Lisa Hill / Cape Kaleidoscopes. This does not mean I am walking away from a lifetime of kaleidoscope discovery but I am walking away from the “business”. The designs and company I have built was not something I wanted to disappear. When Lisa offered to take over, it was the magical turn of events that pushed it into reality.
I am now devoting time to the many things I have put aside for so long. See ya at the Expo!

Update 2021: Clarkdale Az. I moved here in July 2020. The visions and beauty here in the southwest astound me every day it is like living inside natures kaleidoscope.

I started out in the early 1980's as a mechanical engineer working to design and install modern sailing rigs on cargo ships. From there I worked at a place that designed and refined medical equipment. It was there that I discovered modern kaleidoscopes in a gallery near where I ate lunch. I thought to myself, "I could make these." Four months later I was laid off. This was in 1987 and it was time to go somewhere else, so I moved from Boston to Colorado. I have been making kaleidoscopes in one form or another ever since.

I started woodturning with my Dad in High School and am now retired and a fulltime wood turner. I spent my earning years as a business owner with my wife specializing commercial design and IT System Integration for the Army Virtual Training Centers Worldwide. I began making kaleidoscopes some 30 years ago after seeing Steven Gray demo at a woodturning EXPO in Provo, Utah. I joined the Brewster Society in 2018 to take classes (at the EXPO and in Jerome) and began to learn how to create a quality scope. I use dozens of variety of woods from exotic rosewoods like Cocobolo and African Blackwood to domestic figured Maple and Mesquite.

Dr. Suz Burnham is a veterinarian with a life-long interest in artistic pursuits. She comes to kaleidoscope designing from a long time interest in ceramic art. Her primary interest has been for making animal sculptures and firing them with raku flash glazes. To design her kaleidoscopes she draws on her skills in throwing, hand-building and altering forms of extruded clay. The pieces are then fired in oxidation or reduction kilns, wood firing kilns and raku using both ready-made glazes and glazes made in the studio.

Sandra is a photo restorer, metalsmith and kaleidoscope artist. She received her BFA from Parsons School of Design in NYC and studied in Paris. Sandra started creating stained glass kaleidoscopes in 1991 and silversmithing in 1998. Her work has evolved through the years as she combined her kaleidoscope glass work with her love of metalsmithing. Her kaleidoscopes are now constructed of silver, brass, copper, and nickel.

Sandra resides in Guilford CT with her awesome hubby and many furry and finned family members.

R Scott Cole has been designing innovative kaleidoscopes since 1983. His work has been exhibited in museums and galleries across the United States and has been featured on television in addition to numerous books, magazines, and newspapers. The primary force in his artistic development has been exploring how different materials can be utilized creatively in kaleidoscope design. Consistent with much of his life's work, he enjoys teaching and has conducted workshops in many locations, including Penland, John C Campbell Folk School, Thailand, as well as numerous Brewster Kaleidoscope Society Conventions and other locations across the country. His latest project is a 40-foot, interactive, walk-in silo kaleidoscope. His home and Laughing Eye Studios are in Brasstown, North Carolina

After a chance encounter with a toy store kaleidoscope at a large music festival, Leif set off on a course to provide high quality affordable kaleidoscopes at live music events.

After many years of admiring and collecting Kaleidoscopes, in 2017 I had the opportunity to take a week long class at John C. Campbell Folk School in making them. After a week working with Marc Tickle, I was totally committed to learning as much as I could about designing and making Kaleidoscopes. I have been a wood carver for most of my life and wanted to use this skill along with Stained Glass to build unique works. I was lucky enough to study another week under Marc in 2018 to further develop my skill.

In 2018 and 2019, I attended the Brewster Society International Kaleidoscope Convention to exhibit my scopes and unveil one of my hand carved kaleidoscopes. I continue to explore new designs to make unique Kaleidoscopes in wood and stained glass.

I currently exhibit at Reflection Gallery in Chattanooga, TN and the Association of Visual Artist in Chattanooga.

“I see kaleidoscopes as a symbol for my life in many ways. Scopes are a very special blending of optics, gadgets and woodworking and they draw together my interests and my passions. I am forever fascinated by the patterns created by the arrangement of the mirrors. The mystique that lies on the other side of the mirrors’ reflection is distilled and intensified in a kaleidoscope. The reflections in my kaleidoscopes are reflections of my life and I continue to be intrigued with the practice of creating these images”.

A self described “kaleidoscope junkie.” British born Judyth Greenburgh has successfully made the transition from a corporate advertising art director to a “feral artist” living in the tiny desert town of Darwin, California. Since entering the world of kaleidoscope making, she has had numerous exhibits – led workshops, made a giant 8-foot kaleidoscope out of recycled materials and won a People’s Choice Award in her first year at the Brewster’s Kaleidoscope Convention in Memphis. She’s just getting started in this medium and is enjoying the sense of wonder she is discovering on this journey.

We've both always been attracted to shiny, sparking, colorful objects. It's no surprise we work with metals, gemstones, and glass. Our jewelry kaleidoscopes combine multiple mediums that incorporate all the things we love. The kaleidoscope chambers are filled with beach, recycled and dichroic glass. Some pieces also include tiny shells and coral. We collect all the recycled glass from everywhere we go and the beach glass, shells, and coral at our favorite beaches in California and Kauai. That's a really fun perk!

Stephen Hopkins is an experienced wood artist who creates the beautifully crafted exteriors, as well as the mirror systems. He has been making kaleidoscopes for over 25 years. His wife. Sherry, is a watercolor artist who is now creating the lamp-worked pieces and found-item object cells.

After individually completing our life careers, we found each other and embraced the different ways in which we saw the world. This was expressed in the first kaleidoscope we made together in which two people look at the same object and see it differently.

Has been creating stained and fused glass kaleidoscopes since the 1980s. Commissions include Warner Brothers Studios and Sony Japan. Galleries throughout the US and Japan exhibit her work.

David Kalish was born and raised in New York City. He has been designing and producing kaleidoscopes since 1983. His concepts and craftsmanship have earned consistent recognition as distinctive among gallery owners, customers and collectors of fine kaleidoscopes. "I recognize that I'm creating functional art. Initially, I don't want the observer to realize that the piece functions as a kaleidoscope. When that's discovered, the viewer delights in the unexpected surprise. My intention is to create objects that are as alluring on the outside as they are within". David's scopes are sold throughout the United States, in Japan and Great Britain. He now lives and works in Portland, Oregon.

Charles Karadimos began working with stained glass in 1975 and made the transition exclusively to building glass kaleidoscopes in 1980. In the early days of the kaleidoscope renaissance, his main focus was concerned with creating crisp, vibrant, interior images and exploring and developing mirror systems with crystal clear optics that would produce rich, ever-changing patterns. And he has worked very hard towards mastering the development of the perfect kaleidoscope image. For without the image, it just isn't a kaleidoscope. Charles has designed and built thousands of kaleidoscopes, making each part of every scope by hand. There are no machined parts. Every piece -- down to the smallest shard of glass in the object chamber -- is hand worked and individually selected. All of his scopes feature a multidimensional slumped glass exterior, very nice to hold or display. Every piece is an original, signed, and numbered work of art. Charles' work is exhibited in many galleries, museums and private collections throughout the world. His work is featured in many books and publications and he is the recipient of numerous awards, including the Brewster Award for Creative Ingenuity. From November 2003 until January 2013 he served as one of the Directors of the Brewster Kaleidoscope Society, the international organization of kaleidoscope enthusiasts.

I started working in stained glass after retirement. I began the creation of the kaleidoscope around 2012.

Peggy and Steve began their journey in glass in the late 1970's, executing traditional stained glass designs both leaded and the Tiffany technique, and began fusing glass in the early 1980's. A meeting with kaleidoscope artist Steven Gray changed their trajectory into making kaleidoscopes and they began creating fine handcrafted kaleidoscopes in 1986. They have become known for their classic 2-mirror imagery, and the highest quality optical reflections defined by the incredible display of miniature glass sculptures found in the object chambers. Each kaleidoscope is a collaboration of both of them, Steve's fusing skills result in clean, crisp definition of design often requiring multiple firing and annealing, and his optics using front-surface mirror create images of the highest standard. Peggy's flame-sculpted glass pieces floating in the oil-filled object chambers are among the most beautiful to be viewed through a kaleidoscope. Their work has been included in many exhibits: Strathmore Hall Art Center in Rockville, Maryland; the National Quilt Museum Kaleidoscope Exhibit in Paducah, Kentucky; Milwaukee Art Museum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin; the Museum of Northern Arizona in Flagstaff, Arizona; American Folk Art Museum in New York, NY, & Akron Art Museum, Akron, Ohio as part of the Paula Nadelstern Kaleidoscope Quilt Exhibit; a permanent kaleidoscope exhibit at the Teruko Tsuji Memorial Art Museum in Sendei, Japan; the Kaleidoscope Museum of Kyoto; many of their pieces are in the Cozy Baker Collection; and they have exhibited at Fine Arts and Crafts Shows including the prestigious Smithsonian Craft Show. They have been recognized with numerous awards given at Brewster Kaleidoscope events and glass competitions.

Sheryl has been making kaleidoscopes since 1980. She has been a stained glass artist since the early 1970's and has combined the 2 art forms over the years to create many beautiful kaleidoscopes! Known in the kaleidoscope world for making turning wheel kaleidoscopes early on, she now likes to experiment and incorporate different mediums into her kaleidoscopes such as copper metal working, and enameling, and torch work. Working with color is her life's work and the freedom to experiment and 'play' with new things is her inspiration.

I was raised in a kaleidoscope. My dad's barber shop was lined with mirrors and I could never count how many times I could see myself. I accidentally took a kaleidoscope class and immediately I was hooked; so many types of scopes, such beautiful images, infinite variety. It can't get better than this.

I started creating kaleidoscopes in 1998. I have won several awards at the exhibitions in Japan as well as in the US. I have won the People's Choice Award at Brewster Kaleidoscope Society's conventions 5 times since 2007.

Judith is a kaleidoscope collector by addiction and a kaleidoscope maker by vocation. With degrees in Art History from Brown University and The University of Chicago, as well as extensive study at the Art Institute of Chicago, she has spent her whole life in the visual arts. Her experience as a professional studio photographer, ceramicist, fabric and jewelry designer and glass artist all come into play as she designs and makes kaleidoscopes. Judith lives in Northern California and is married to her "mirror man", Tom Durden. Together they produce collector quality kaleidoscopes from the finest and most unique materials. Her kaleidoscopes have won numerous awards in international competition and are enjoyed in many homes and several museums around the world.

In 1974 Mark migrated from Illinois, where he was born, to Austin, TX to attend the University of Texas majoring in English Literature. He and his brother Peach supplemented their income by making handmade kaleidoscopes and selling them on " the drag". After completing his education, Mark and Peach went into scope making full time. As pioneers in a kind of kaleidoscope renaissance, they built a by-the-seat-of-your-pants business designing hand-made scopes that included a camerascope, electroscope, and various hand painted and wood styles. Earlier models had an endearing quality, but with the discovery of front surface mirrors, image clarity became the benchmark for the future of scope appreciation. Art shows, then in their infancy, were the largest market for their work, along with galleries and gift catalogs worldwide. In the late 80's Peach gravitated toward a real job in Real Estate, while Mark continued on in the world of kaleidoscopes and light sculptures under the banner of "Kaleidovisions". Fortunately for Mark, Carol, his soon-to-be-wife, swept into action as artist partner. Daughter to a decorated flight navigator and Air Force Mom, Carol has been the "navigator" for the business ever since. Together they continue to design, build and show their high quality pieces at shows and galleries all across the country.

I have been designing and creating Kaleidoscopes for over 35 years. My work is in private collections as well as museums and galleries all over the world.

We began making kaleidoscopes in 1994. Our first product was a kaleidoscope kit that we marketed to Junior Achievement Companies to be used as a product the kids manufactured and then sold. We were both JA advisors and though the kit was a great project for the kids, it didn’t provide us with much of a challenge or creative outlet. We began making different kinds of scopes; creating different body styles and discovering different ways to create the images. We learned how to put together boards to create inlay to use in some of our scope bodies. As we learned more about kaleidoscopes, we became involved in the Brewster Kaleidoscope Society, a group of kaleidoscope artists, collectors, and shop owners. This gave us the opportunity to meet many of the people in the kaleidoscope community where we formed connections that both helped us to grow as artists, and to sell our scopes in shops around the country.

I grew up in the south of England where I studied mathematics, psychology and computer programming before discovering the beauty of art glass and kaleidoscopes. I now live in Asheville, North Carolina with my wife and our two sons. I design and make my pieces in my home studio.

Bob Tupa's interest in kaleidoscopes started as a child when he was searching through his grandmother's attic and found the kaleidoscope that was made as a shop project by his father in high school. His father was an automotive research mechanical engineer and one of his father’s hobbies was woodworking. So those skills were passed down. One day at a local hardware store there were several boxes of broken window glass. The business allowed him to have several boxes for free and so there was sufficient material to learn how to cut glass. He progressed to incorporate colored glass into terrariums and lampshades. After starting in medical practice, he met a patient who owned his own stained-glass business. This gentleman was an artist trained in Italy to do Cathedral Windows as well as many other applications. Over the years that association as well as others have allowed for expanded skills in manipulating glass. This includes working with oxy-propane torche lampwork as well as kiln work. Over the years there has been a strong interest in art and design. This was fostered in the family. His sister was a graphic artist who trained at and taught at the Cleveland Institute of Art. His wife pursued a major in art at Ursuline College. He then became more familiar with jewelry, metalwork, enameling, and ceramics,. Attention to the visual was further enhanced with an additional hobby of photography. So the interest in these different fields started to naturally come together making kaleidoscopes. He first started making kaleidoscopes 10 to 15 years ago but since retirement has been able to concentrate more attention to materials and methods. He joined the Brewster society approximately 4 years ago. Courses at the annual meetings have helped solve some technical issues with object cells etc. Plans are to continue to explore blending natural materials and particularly figured woods into scope design. Other aspects to explore are different mirror systems, lighting, and manipulating image design where there is no mirror.

Laura Wilde is a San Francisco, California area artist who has been making kaleidoscopes for approximately 20 years. She attended Santa Clara University where she obtained a degree in Fine Arts. Her background includes positions in the print industry and various hand-production arts and crafts.

I have been making kaleidoscopes since 1992. I use stained glass as one of the major materials for making my kaleidoscopes. I own my private kaleidoscope making school in Tokyo. I have formed a group called " ART KALEIDOSCOPE JAPAN" to promote awareness of Art Kaleidoscopes to the public

PROFILE of MINORI YAMAZAKI 　　　 ■currently working Artist, Designer Professor Emeritus at Joshibi University of fine art and design for 2019. and I used to be the director of Joshibi University Museum from 2003 to 2007. The associate professor at Joshibi University of fine art and design for 2001. An associate professor at Faculty of Arts at Tokyo Institute of Polytechnics, from 1995 to 1998. A part-time instructor at Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music, from 1995 to 1998. ■PROFILE (summary) 1954 born in Kiryu Gunmma Japan 1978 graduated from Tokyo University of Arts majoring in metal molding 1979 Awarded the Ataka Prize 1980 completed formation design graduate degree at Tokyo University ofArts 1981 Winner of the Bronze Prize at “Design Forum ‘81” Japan Design Committee 1986 invited to be entered for High Technology Art International Exhibition 1988 directed Koyasan Tokyo annex “Mandala Pavilion” space design 1989 directed 100th anniversary of Sendai City establishment commemorative event space design 1995 Solo exhibition "Orijin" at Utsukushigahara Open-Air Museum 　"TODAY'S JAPAN DESIGN SAMPLlNG '95," Invitational Exhibition, Toronto, Canada "Dream of Light1-3" Shinjuku NS building Christmas tree to ’97 1997 Artwork coordinate for Kiryu City Performing Arts Center 2000 Christmas Decoration design for The Kobe Fashion Plaza Rink Christmas Decoration “Shape of light” artwork coordinate for Capital subway Ohedo line 2001 Christmas Decoration design for The Queen's Square Yokohama Station Core 2007 Solo exhibition "CUMOS 4D cubic cosmos kaleidoscope" at Galerie VIVANT Ginza Tokyo 2008 space designe for “International NAIL EXPO 2008” Japan Nailist Association