About Me

Raised in Bothell, WA, Brien grew up biking the Burke-Gilman trail, kayaking around Elliot Bay, and spending any free time on the water. After finishing school in 2006, he started working various jobs around, from tech support to salvaging historic building materials, stage handing for some of his favorite bands and venues, and working in the tattoo and piercing industry in Seattle. Brien had always been interested in body modification from a young age, and after seeing body suspension on Riley’s Believe It or Not…well, he was hooked. Around 2014, while working in a local piercing studio, he was on the hunt for the perfect pair of glass plugs for his cheek piercings. But nowhere could make exactly what he needed. After 5 or 6 different failed pairs, Brien asked a local glassblower if he could try his hand at making the pieces he wanted himself. What he wanted was pretty specific, and after over a dozen tries, he finally got them right. In the process, he’d found what he’d been searching for. 

 

“Glassblowing is addictive. From the first time it goes fluid in your hand, it's mesmerizing to be able to move and shape glass into exactly what you want it to be. It doesn’t even matter what you are making, when you are done and your proportions are correct and the glass is perfect and you hold it up to the light and see it’s good, it’s the most satisfying thing.” 

 

6 months after making the plugs he needed for his piercings, he purchased a $1600 torch, so he could begin blowing glass on his own. By 2016 he worked any odd jobs he could to cover materials and supplies to make his pieces. 2020 and COVID-19 shut the world down, and it was the perfect time to blow glass. Through shutdown, Brien focused on learning new glass techniques, refining his skills, and getting lost in his art.  

He now lives in a converted school bus in Woodinville, which is both his home and his glass studio. His work often celebrates his Pacific Northwest upbringing, the colorful festivals and music of his early years, and a penchant for perfectionism he brings to all his pieces- but particularly his bespoke body jewelry. Each piece is lovingly bespoke, sculpted by hand (usually with The Lord of the Rings playing in the background), and finished to perfection.