Development of the "Alternate Universes"
By Larry Mitchell

This artist, Larry Mitchell, had a career in engineering for 38 years including working for DuPont and later teaching and doing research in engineering design at Virginia Tech, University of Michigan, Ohio State, and the United States Air Force Academy.  

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Upon retiring he needed an outlet for his creative urges.  He turned to welded and knit steel/copper sculptures and fused glass as his mediums.  He had taught welding for lawn art in the YMCA Open University for 5 years.  He has taught fused glass in the YMCA Open University for 5 years and now has been teaching Fused Glass in the Blacksburg Parks and Recreation Program for 7 years.  He has been fusing glass for 15 years.  He has participated in numerous week-long workshops in fused glass over the years at Snow Farm, Vitrum Studios, Bullseye Glass, Pratt Institute, John C. Campbell Folk School, KBW Educational Foundation Glass Conference, and Corning Glass Studios, Corning, NY.  Currently he spends 1-2 weeks/year in the Corning Glass Studios expanding his horizons.  

His art ranges from abstract to realism.  He says he paints with glass by stacking different colored glasses upon one another.  The glass art panels are fused in a kiln at 1,350-1,480 ºF with kiln times ranging from 14–56 hours to achieve various effects.  As a retired educator, he is willing to share the techniques used to get the various effects.

He has or is showing at Montgomery Museum, Museum Market on Main, Virginia Tech Library Systems (VTLS) Building, Mill Mountain Coffee and Tea, the Black Rooster Gallery-Abingdon, the Community Arts Information Office (CAIO), the Floyd Center of the Arts, and facilities on Virginia Tech’s campus including ICTAS, Perspective Gallery, and New West Buildings.  In addition he has gallery installations at the 2nd Helping Gallery-Roanoke, Southwest Virginia Cultural Center & Marketplace, Abingdon, Black House and Cultural Center-Blacksburg, the Meadowview Farmer’s Guild-Meadowview, the Rescue Mission-Roanoke, and the Albanian Embassy, Washington, DC.  He is a five time first-place winner in the Rescue Mission’s Permanent Art Collection Competition for 3D art; they are a 3-D wire knit piece, an enameled-copper sculpture, and three fused Glass Art panels.  He has won 2nd and 3rd prizes for 3D art at the Art at the Market held in Blacksburg, VA

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Moreover, he is on the Montgomery County Artisan Trail and as such his studio is open on request.  Check out: https://roundthemountain.org/profile/larrymitchell/

He has been the President-Elect, President, and Newsletter Editor for the Blacksburg Regional Art Association (BRAA).  He is BRAA’s representative and Downtown Blacksburg Inc.  He Chaired the Blacksburg Arts and Cultural District Ordinance Task Force which had its ordinances unanimously passed by Blacksburg Town Council.  Thus, this work established a business-friendly Arts and Cultural District in Blacksburg for the first time.
 
Larry D. Mitchell
Fused Glass Artist
Ladell Kilnformed Arts 
1705 Hawthorne Ridge, Blacksburg, VA 24060-6159
(540) 552-0565          drldmm@comcast.net