Fenton Artist Robert Barber - Where Are They Now

We heard from Fenton artist Robert Barber recently. We thought it might be nice to revisit his work and Fenton and provide an update on what he is doing today. In 1975, Robert Barber, an established glass artist, was hired by Fenton to begin an artist-in-residence program with some of Fenton’s most skilled craftsmen producing a limited line of art-glass vases. Four pieces were offered initially in early 1975 and the remainder of the line was added toward the end of the year. The "Family Portrait" photo below shows all of the pieces produced except for Blue Labyrinth which appears identical to the vase on the lower left - except in blue instead of amethyst. The captions indicate the Fenton Numbers followed by the total number of pieces produced. Each piece also had a name.

Each completed vase which met quality control standards was ground flat on the bottom and a concave area was ground out in the center. Here was etched the Fenton oval and "1975" plus the artists initial and number sequence were hand scribed. A photograph of a typical vase bottom with inscriptions is shown in my article. A certificate booklet , signed, and including the Fenton corporate seal, also shown in my previous article, accompanied each piece. Pieces which did not meet standards were either ground down (back row - left) if there was a structural problem with the top - or satinized if the flaw was only in the pattern. From the numbers of these seconds pieces which appear on Ebay - there must have been considerable "spoilage". The seconds I have seen are lightly etched with the Fenton oval and "1975 S". Sometimes this marking is almost invisible.

While at Fenton, Robert became involved in the technical composition of colored glasses. In 1976 he relocated to the Pilgrim Glass Company in Ceredo, W. Va. At Pilgrim, I designed several glasses including their famous “Cranberry” glass; it obtains its color by using Gold as the coloring agent. In 1980hHe moved to Cheshire, CT and took a job at Innotech Glass in Bridgeport CT. Today, Robert at the young age of 73, is enrolled at Sierra College taking Photoshop CS5 and Web design courses.

Left to right starting with the bottom row - we have Labyrinth (amethyst); Hanging Heart (turquoise); Blue Feather; Bittersweet Hanging Heart; Hanging heart (custard iridescent); top row - Hanging Heart (turquoise iridescent) (cut down second); Summer Tapestry; Cascade; Hyacinth Feather.