Jarod Crews

Hey! I’m Jarod Crews with Cellar Door Trades, and I’m a contemporary glass artist with a focus on landscapes and botanicals.

My love of glass started early: Growing up Catholic, I vividly remember losing myself in the rich scenes of glass in our church windows. The way the rainbows of refractions played across the pews and floor-- it was magic. I mean, the Rose Window Notre Dame ... how can you deny that awesomeness? My mother was a glass artist, as well, so I suppose it was almost inevitable that I would someday find myself creating glass of my own. Loneliness led me to discovering Ted Harrison’s work, who has probably been my biggest influence throughout my entire growth as an artist. I was a military kid, you see, and my friends were constantly moving away as their fathers or mothers were stationed elsewhere, but my father was an Army drill instructor, so we stayed put. Anyhow, I found myself in the library often, chasing escape, and this is where I saw a poster our middle-school librarian had hung on the wall: Ted Harrison’s The Eagles. To a kid trying to get away, it was pure visual bliss and still my favorite painting of his. From then on, I lost myself in my own landscape doodles, bright colorful crayola-and-paper vacations. Now, I just make them in glass! 

Once I was able, I would hop in the car and just drive, always in search of amazing scenery. I’ve been all over the US, and looked over some majorly stunning vistas -- These are the images and memories that make their way into my glass designs.  

My husband and I moved to Michigan from the east coast when he retired from the Navy, and I gave up a 14-year career as a stylist and educator for a prominent company. From there I had no idea where I’d pick up. I suppose I could've continued on as a stylist and rebuilt my clientele, but I was burnt out and so instead chose to start up a venture of my own, something completely different, answering only to me. I needed quiet and color. It was slow at first, which is just the way I wanted it to be. I sold my glass in a few local shops, nothing major … low-key. But what began as a super small situation, a way to mainly pass time while I sorted things out, has grown into a full-on, 7-days a week business -- and I cannot imagine doing anything else!   

My tutorial with Domestika will be my first venture into teaching, and I'm super excited to share what I've learned over the years! Thank you for joining me on this glass journey!

Be well!