2134 Strata Vase - Heliotrope

Wayne Husted was the second of Blenko’s storied Big Four designers – and the second in a row to come to Blenko from Alfred University and NY State’s School of Ceramics, where he studied ceramics and design. Husted had very little experience with glass before coming to Blenko to replace another Alfred graduate, Winslow Anderson. With some few exceptions, most of the wares in the 1953-1962 catalogs are Husted’s designs for Blenko – and his design tenure marked a period of wild and continuous experimentation with form, shape, and finishing. His works in glass were often counterintuitive and difficult to make – but undeniably magical and compelling in their finished forms. Whether it’s his heavily-prunted 597 bowls, or his teapot decanters, or his whimsical bird decanters, Husted’s work is celebrated and deeply collectible. Husted was essentially the first designer at Blenko to make architectural-scale glass – floor decanters with tall topping stoppers that came across the finish line at more than two feet tall. During - and after - his time at Blenko, Husted was a prolific designer for other glass companies and design firms.