SWEDEN CRYSTAL DESIGN
   
 

Three masters
 

Glas ska man behandla som en kvinna - mjukt och försiktigt
 

MASTER BLOWER MIKAEL 

Mikael Axenbrant, born in 1957.

Began his career in glass at the age of 15
- Achieved his Mastership at 35.

Favourite colour: Black

 
  Personality: Spontaneous and outgoing. The glasswork's very own personification of April weather, blowing up to storm without any warning, yet blowing over just as quick. When the sun shines, it shines on everyone in his surroundings.

Attributes: Often designs unwieldy, sculptured glass pieces with a modernistic expression. Mikael forms glass quickly and spontaneously, as is his nature, and if he is not satisfied with the result, he discards it. Nothing less than perfection is accepted. 

"Hot glass must be treated like a woman - gently and with the utmost of 
  care."
 





 
 
MASTER BLOWER HÅKAN

Håkan Gunnarsson, born in 1947.

Began his career in glass at the age of 14 - Achieved his Mastership at 24.

Favorite colour: Green
  Personality: Confident, reliable, and stubborn. The strong and silent John Wayne type. Can seem at times to be obstinate and sulky, but deep down is like a cuddly teddybear.

Attributes: Håkan's inventive and technical skills are his main attribute. He is, at his best, when confronted by extremely complex assignments, which he quickly solves. This is also displayed in his own range of design glass, where shape plays a significant role, while colour takes a back seat. Prefers to work with clear crystal glass.

"Glass is an infinite source of surprise, often leading to new technical discoveries"
 





 
 


 

MASTER BLOWER LEIF  

Leif Persson, born in 1941.

Began his career in glass at the age of 14
- Achieved his Mastership at 21.

Favorite colour: Marine blue
  Personality: Calm and flexible. Rumour has it that the atmosphere in the studio is one of amiable teasing but, at times, can be rather crude. However Leif, acting as mediator, quickly calms the situation, countering provoking comments with a stream of kind words.

Attributes: As the elder in the studio, Leif is well versed in the field of glass design and handles glass with an obvious passion that can only be achieved through years of experience. His design glass appears, at times, nostalgic in nature, when he applies old techniques to shape thin, elegant decorative glass. But he can also spend time experimenting with unwieldy and sculptural designs, infusing colour in glass in a new and unusual way.

"The warm and soft glass has a life of its own - one has to realise this to work with the glass and not against it.!"