Szal Design

About Szal Design

Tim has been designing and building contemporary art glass pieces for over ten years. First attracted to building with legos, he soon turned his attention to wood and woodworking, and then to glass. Tim has been designing and building art glass windows, panels, and sculpture for over 10 years, and has experience designing and building both large and small works, including two commissions for the Trinity College Chapel in Hartford, CT.

Tim obtained his B.S. in Economics from Trinity College in 2006 and his Masters in Architecture from the University of Michigan's Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning in 2009, and is a LEED Accredited Professional. When not working on glass or design-related projects, Tim can usually be found watching episodes of BBC's Top Gear or covered in sawdust creating something out of wood.

Artist Statement

I strive to create an installation of light through the elevation of leaded glass to a three-dimensional form. I have chosen to approach this goal by creating a series of art glass luminaires. I take a simple, organic approach to design consist¬ing of elemental materials: wood, glass, and metal. These elements combine to create luminaires that come alive, radiating and illuminating, a unique piece of art.

The Prana series of luminaires features a square column of mouth-blown glass with an exposed glass upper lip resting on a solid wood base. The design concept was to utilize an entire sheet of mouth-blown glass. Antique glass is made by blowing and forming molten glass into a cylinder, which is then cut on one side, heated, and folded flat. Therefore, by using an entire sheet of glass in which the glass pieces of the lamp match together, any pattern or variations in the glass will run from one piece to the next, effectively recreating the blown glass cylinder.