Internationally known for its blown and sandblasted artworks, Thal Glass Studio is increasingly being commissioned to create architectural fused-glass pieces, like windows and room dividers.
Installed in early 2026, a Thal-Altwies piece in the new Jackson Hole Children’s Museum includes fused and blown glass. Altwies, who worked with leaded glass before fused glass, did the center window, a fused piece measuring 36 by 36 inches. Thal blew 200 unique pieces of glass in the same vibrant jewel colors as Altwies’s window. “We wanted to inspire the children with playful glass colors shimmering in the south-facing wall of windows,” she says.
For a mountaineering couple, Thal and Altwies of Thal Glass Studio, created a fused-glass triptych of the Tetons. Another couple had an octagonal window that looked out at a neighbor’s garage. “By replacing their traditional window with custom fused glass, they now have a vibrant piece that is beautiful to look at instead of the neighbor’s garage,” Thal says. “And it still allows natural light to come in.”
Thal blows each of these glass bowls in layers of rich colors cased in clear glass. After the bowls have been blown and cooled, Altwies sandblasts the intricate designs onto the interior, delicately shading and removing the layer of color down to the clear glass. The edges of the bowls are deeply carved with the sandblasting tool in a petal motif.
While Thal, an avid skier, says fusing glass is as different from blowing glass as Nordic skiing is from alpine skiing, she and Altwies evolved to work with the medium more than a decade ago. “They are totally different, but both are wonderful artistic directions, and there is a call for both,” says Thal, who has welcomed visitors to her studio on Teton Village Road for more than 40 years. “Fused pieces have very different functions and dimensions from blown pieces.” Thal and Altwies can even create UL-approved lighting fixtures. “We have created unique and impressive lighting,” she says. “People don’t have to order from Italy.”
“We enjoy the challenge of designing and creating fused-glass pieces. It is a
great opportunity to help enhance the homes and everyday lives of our clients.”
— Glass artist Laurie Thal
“We enjoy the challenge of designing and creating fused-glass pieces,” Thal says. “It is a great opportunity to help enhance the homes and everyday lives of our clients.”
Icarus is a unique, wall-mounted fused-glass sculpture with texture and dimension. Designed by Thal and Altwies, the piece was created by fusing three layers of glass together. “It was a complicated piece because of all the curves,” Thal says. “Cutting glass in a straight line is easy, but curves are challenging, and [Altwies] is an expert at doing this.” Measuring 35×62 inches together, each of the two sections has a different-length wall hanger. “This gives more depth to the whole piece,” Thal says.
