Biography

The creative team of Tim and Katherine McManus design and produce blown glass sculptures, chandeliers, awards and decorative pieces for homes, offices and galleries.

They both spent three years at Sheridan College, Ontario, studying the art of glassblowing.

They opened Blown Away Glass Studio in Elora, Ontario in 1999. Not only does the gallery offer pieces for sale, Tim and Katherine have also shared their expertise and experience by teaching for over 20 years. They provide private and group instruction on the fine art of glassblowing and many of their students have become prominent in the glass industry. Together, they have won numerous awards for Excellence in Craftsmanship and Design, both locally and internationally, for example:

• “Best in Show”, “Collectors Choice Award”, “Award of Excellence”, “Purchase Award”, “Jury Award”, and “Honorable Mention” at art festivals throughout New York, Michigan, Illinois, Florida and Connecticut
• “Best in Show” at the 2007 Elora “Art in the Yard” festival
• the “Skilled Trade Award of Excellence” from the Wellington Chamber of Commerce in 2012
• they were recognised as “glass artists that helped shape a generation of glass artists” in 2016 during the opening night talk, “Generations in Glass”, at the Chihuly exhibit, Royal Ontario Museum

Their custom design projects have ranged from lighting to corporate gifts and awards and they have often travelled throughout North America for their clients to carry out site-specific installations. Some of those commissioned designs are:

• a 6 ft. x 14 ft. custom glass chandelier made for the dining room at the home of the President of the Mississauga Arts Council
• numerous customs pieces given as gifts to foreign dignitaries by the Canadian Government
• several of their designs are in the art collections of former Prime Minister Stephen Harper and the Canadian Clay and Glass Museum
• the awards given out by the Chamber of Commerce for Private Business Growth
• a “museum ancient” piece made for the American Gods television series
• lights at the Canadian Parliament buildings in Canada’s capital, Ottawa
• lobby art at Murano Gardens condominiums, Winnipeg, Manitoba

Their work and their gallery have also been featured in the media:

• in an article in Arabella Magazine that included photos of the large chandeliers they created for a home in Mississauga, Ontario
• on the Rick Mercer Show (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation)
• in the February 2017 issue of Grand Magazine
• on Made From Destruction, Discovery Channel International (2017)
• in 2021, In Your Backyard localtelevision feature
• in 2022, The Weather Network national television feature