Jan Benda

Jan Benda was born in Czechoslovakia, where he was schooled for 3 years in the art of blowing glass. Upon graduation, he spent 13 years honing his skills working in a glass blowing studio in Zelezny Brod. He immigrated to Canada in the early 1980's and set his sights on the west coast.

From his home studio on the Sunshine Coast of British Columbia, Jan continues to innovate in the medium of glass blowing, giving special care to each of his individual creations. Perfume bottles, oil lamps, vases and plates are among his repertoire of objects of art and each piece is exquisitely finished and signed.

Jan's work was exhibited in the Washington Pavilion at Expo'86, and is distributed in Canada and the United States. He is a regular exhibitor at the Alberta Gift Show in Edmonton and the Vancouver Gift Show, and is represented by galleries throughout Canada. He has also been a participant of the Canadian Glass Show since 1994.

Jan's exquisite Canadian creations are hand-blown in the revered Czechoslovakian tradition, perfected by centuries of craftsmanship. For each distinctive design, the artist follows age-old methods of glass blowing, colour selection and blending to produce a piece of commanding beauty and originality.

The artwork of Jan Benda is represented by Rowles & Company Ltd., Alberta's Corporate Gift & Art Gallery, in Edmonton and Calgary, Alberta, Canada.