Karg Glass Studio proudly presents the award-winning work of James D. Karg. Jim creates a variety of pieces in which bright, dynamic colors dance in clear glass. He designs and produces an array of contemporary and traditional glass art designs, ranging in size from small paperweights and perfume bottles to massive freeform sculptures.

The process of making art glass is complex, requiring skill and attention every step of the way. The first step is actually mixing together the raw components used to make the glass. Using glassmaking techniques that are thousands of years old, along with many of his own invention, Jim makes his custom glass from a mixture of sand, soda ash, and lime. Distinctive colors are achieved by mixing various metallic oxides such as silver, cobalt, copper and others into the glass formula. These mixtures are heated in a large ceramic bowl inside a fiery furnace to temperatures in excess of 2400 degrees Fahrenheit, and cooked for 24 hours.

After the white-hot liquid has cooled to a working temperature of around 2000 degrees, the artist gathers some onto the end of a five-foot long stainless steel pipe. He then blows, manipulates, and shapes the hot mass, dipping it back into the furnace for additional gathers if the piece is to be larger. Glass is an incredible and unique medium, permitting the artist with nearly limitless possibilities for combinations of form, color, and dimension. While hot, glass is a fertile and potent medium for expression, but remains in this state only briefly before cooling and becoming brittle and awkward to work with. During its few moments in this molten state, the artist must deftly translate urges into shapes, which become integral parts of the final piece. Impending destruction of this delicate balance always looms as the artist strains against the limits of both man and material.

When he completes the blowing and shaping process, Jim removes the piece from the pipe and places it into an annealing oven, where it will cool slowly. The larger and thicker the piece, the longer the time required for this step. Once the pieces have cooled, each one is inspected for quality, then cut, ground, and signed by the artist.

A Native of upstate Pennsylvania, Jim moved to Marietta, Georgia as a teenager. After high school, Jim apprenticed with his uncle, Rollin Karg, in Kansas. In 1993 he opened his own studio on Douglasville, Georgia with his father. In 2002, after his father's retirement, Jim moved his studio closer to home in beautiful historic downtown Acworth, where he lives with his wife and two children.

Jim has won scores of awards in competitions and shows. He exhibits his work at fine art shows throughout the United States, and his work can be found in fine galleries, discriminating private collections, and museums around the world.