Cary Ferguson works in his glassblowing studio. (Photo by Sheri Trusty)

BY SHERI TRUSTY

MARBLEHEAD – Although Cary Ferguson has been working with glass for over 50 years, he keeps finding ways to make his life fuller and his connection to his customers deeper. The artist, who owns Ferguson Gallery in Marblehead, trained in Cleveland under a master glass cutter who was born in 1892, and now Ferguson has established his own legacy as one of the premier glass artists in the country. With the opening of his new restaurant next door, Beach Glass Lounge, even more people are experiencing the beauty of his glassworks and oil paintings.

“A lot of my friends are retiring, but I keep going,” he said. “I just like creating, and I’ll do it as long as I can.”

Ferguson doesn’t create in a bubble. Long ago, Ferguson installed a clear, wide window in his studio, so gallery customers could peer inside to watch him work. But the artist who bends hot glass into objects of beauty saw the thin pane of glass in the window as a formidable barrier between his customers and his art, and he opened the door of his studio and welcomed them in.

Cary Ferguson refines a vase on his glasscutter. (Photo by Sheri Trusty)

“I have an open-door studio now. People can stop in while they’re shopping,” he said.

It isn’t just the door between the studio and the gallery that Ferguson opens. When the weather is warm enough, he will throw open the big garage doors that line a studio wall, and Beach Glass Lounge customers can watch him work from the comfort of the dining room while they feast on Pan Roasted Salmon or Prime Filet Mignon.

“We’ll have an outside bar there, too – hopefully by the time the tourist season opens,” he said.

Walking into Beach Glass Lounge is like stepping into an upscale lake cottage. The stark white walls serve as the backsplash for Ferguson’s art. Brightly colored oil paintings in the blues and yellows of summer are displayed around the room, but the lounge’s showstopper is a handmade “Big Wave” chandelier that glitters and tinkles above diners’ heads. Over 300 glass pieces ebb in the air, creating an image of a Lake Erie wave.

Ferguson Gallery features the oil paintings and glass art of Cary Ferguson. (Photo by Sheri Trusty)

“Each piece is handblown,” Ferguson said. “A fan makes them move, and they tinkle, if you listen carefully.”

Ferguson has been spending the winter working on his next big work for the restaurant, a giant, hanging sculpture that will feature over 100 glass fish.

“They are all different. They are all handblown. They are all clear, and they all have different colored eyes,” he said.

Ferguson is also creating an original oil painting of fish that will soon hang at the restaurant. Ferguson said he uses little reference when he paints. He starts with a concept and lets his instincts take over.
“I took a painting class in Tennessee, and the teacher said I am an instinctual painter. I didn’t understand that at the time,” he said.

The red-hot kiln burns inside Ferguson Gallery on a recent winter day. (Photo by Sheri Trusty)

Ferguson isn’t content letting customers simply enjoy his work. He also wants to teach them to create their own. He hosts glassblowing classes, where students with no experience learn to make simple, but elegant, glass pieces. He recently offered a heart class for Valentine’s Day for $32.

“We may offer a shamrock class, and we’ll have an Easter egg class this spring and maybe a random paperweight class,” he said.

Ferguson Gallery is open Wednesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. It is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. It is located at 5890 E. Harbor Rd. in Marblehead. For more information, visit www.fergusongallery.com or call 419-734-0600.