Erich Woll combines humor, sentimentality, and word-play into his captivating glass pieces. Interested in exploring the human ability to interpret subject matter, Woll strives to create works that are simultaneously simple and intellectually complex, deliberately disconnecting objects from their usual contexts to invoke a unique ambiguity. He invites viewers to draw their own distinct conclusions and create multiple paths of interpretation.
"With my work I’m looking for juxtapositions. I’m looking for thematic undercurrents, those spaces in-between. Specifically I want to explore interpretation, to examine how different individuals evaluate visually identifiable imagery and formulate different conclusions." - Erich Woll
Erich Woll was born in Boston, Massachusetts. After moving to Seattle to pursue a career as an artist, he studied at the Pilchuck Glass School in Stanwood, Washington. In 1994, he received a BFA with a focus in glass sculpture and metal fabrication at Alfred University in New York. In 1997, Dale Chihuly’s glassblowing team offered Woll a position at Chihuly’s residence in Seattle, known as ‘the boathouse.’ During his six-year tenure with Chihuly, Woll traveled around the US and the world. In that time, he gained valuable technical and artistic skills and knowledge of glass sculpture. Woll’s works have been featured in The Seattle Times, Glass Quarterly Magazine and The News Tribune.