Fancy Fusions
Danny Sullivan fuses love of Jarbidge and creating glass art
By Dianna Troyer
Flowers never fade, wilt or need watering when Danny Sullivan gives them to family and friends. The glass artist’s floral creations brighten homes permanently.
Specializing in torch-worked and fused glass, Danny makes flowers, bowls, glasses, plates, platters, jewelry and ornaments at his studio in Jarbidge, a community of 20 residents in northeastern Nevada.
“I’ve been creating glass art for 20 years, and it still energizes me because there’s no limit to what you can make,” says Danny, owner of Nevada Glassworks, a studio and gallery. “I strive to make each piece unique and be innovative.”
The 65-year-old’s latest innovation is making 12-inch bowls by fusing glass to antique gold pans, a nod to Jarbidge’s mining history.
Danny’s enchantment with glass began in 2003 when he enrolled in beginning, intermediate and advanced glass beadmaking classes in Elko to relax after work. His job involved information technology support for a local company that provided payroll services.
Local artist Kristen Frantzen Orr taught how to make glass beads and jewelry. Captivated by glass, Danny later took two classes at the Glass Craft & Bead Expo in Las Vegas and learned to make dragons, lizards and chandeliers.
“Those classes opened a whole new world for me,” he says. “Eventually, I realized I wanted to do more than make and string beads.”
Intrigued with other glass art techniques, Danny built a home studio and began studying how to fuse glass pieces to make plates and other décor. As his passion for creating glass art grew, he started daydreaming of one day blending his love of glasswork and Jarbidge.
“I always loved going to Jarbidge—fishing, camping, seeing the scenery and spending time with friends,” he says. “I spent a lot of weekends there.”
To kindle his creativity in an inspiring place, Danny set up his studio in Jarbidge in 2014 and devoted himself to his art on weekends. After retiring in 2017, he moved there.
“I never looked back and have no regrets,” he says.
Generally, Danny starts working in his studio around 6 a.m.
“I’m definitely a morning person,” he says. “After three to five hours working with the torch, though, I need a break. In the afternoons, I usually load the kiln. It’s definitely not a 9-to-5 job, and I don’t have a rigid schedule.”
Sometimes, inspiration brightens not only his days but also his nights.
“When an idea comes, I’ll run out to the studio and start bringing to life whatever I envision,” he says.
During winter, Danny opens his gallery by appointment or for local bed-and-breakfast owners whose clients want to see his glasswork.
“I’m glad for a winter lull in business so I can build up inventory for the summer season,” he says. “Summers here are really busy.”
Jarbidge is a destination for hikers, mountain bikers, big game hunters and off-road enthusiasts who explore the Jarbidge Wilderness area, where eight peaks rise above 10,000 feet. The area’s distinct Matterhorn is named for the mountain it resembles in Switzerland. The west fork of the Jarbidge River with trophy trout lures anglers, while rapids attract rafters. The area is also listed with Backcountry Discovery Routes, ridebdr.com, a nonprofit that maps the nation’s unpaved byways.
Danny admits his creativity sometimes wanes.
“When I feel like everything I make looks the same, I quit and paint landscapes,” he says. “Acrylics are great to work with because the colors never fade, and they dry quickly.”
Initially, he gave his paintings to friends and family and hung some in the gallery just for decoration. Soon after, people started asking to buy them.
Another of his innovations and inspirations is blending painting and glass.
“I’ll paint with enamel powder and fire it in the kiln to create a landscape in glass,” Danny says. “I’m always open to new ideas.”
Nevada Glassworks at 576 Main St. is open 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday, Saturday and Sunday from Memorial Day to Labor Day and by appointment at 775-934-5875. More information is available at nevadaglassworks.com.