O’Fallon based glass artist, Dustin Reed, started his pursuit of glass 2 decades ago. Coming from a long line of artists and entrepreneurs, he began working with glass at a very young age after being introduced to the medium by a cousin at a family event. At 14 years old Dustin took his first class on glass bead making to better understand the craft and develop the skills to support his artistic expressions. “Having a studio at my great grandmother’s house helped shape my style in glass” said Dustin, “Although not a glass artist herself, she was a wonderfully artistic sculptor, clay artist and painter. She taught me so much about form and color pairings, I owe so much of my artistry to her.” Over the next several years, Dustin devoted countless hours to glass bead making and torch working, creating one-of-kind pieces and selling them at local farmers markets and art shows after school and while on breaks.

In 2015, the chance for Dustin to take his love of glass a step further arrived with an opportunity to study glass blowing and glass casting at the distinguished Pilchuck Glass School outside Seattle, WA. While attending Pilchuck, Dustin studied under noted glass artist Kazuki Takizawa and observed artists such as Raven Skyriver, Kelly O’Dell, and Dan Friday. Upon his return to Missouri, Dustin worked as an apprentice to Astral Glass Studio in New Haven. Meanwhile, forever in the pursuit of learning, Dustin also took a class on borosilicate glass which opened the door to his current passion and artistic outlet. Combining a love of all things glass with his first love of torchwork, Dustin found a more accessible outlet for his craft and continues to immerse himself in the glass culture in as many avenues as possible.