In 1996, Bengt Hokanson and Trefny Dix opened their first glass studio in Greenport, NY. In this studio, they primarily cast glass to use as elements for their individual glass and mixed media sculpture and for custom architectural projects.
In 2000, they began a collaborative body of blown glass vessels. This early work was developed and made under the studio name Boar Glass. This work experimented with the use of bright colors and abstract, textural patterns on sculptural glass forms. This collection of work incorporated large blocks of color, or color wraps that surrounded patterned layers of color, all flowing across the surface of their sculptural forms.
Although much of the work was created as pieces in a series, each piece was treated as an abstract painting and therefore, each was unique.
This work expanded into more complicated forms and patterning designs often incorporating incalmos, core color pick ups and simple, monolithic forms.
Greenport’s beautiful seascape and maritime environment was an early influence on Bengt and Trefny’s work. They also found inspiration from the great abstract painters: Rothko, Gorkey and the early work of Matisse. Other sources of inspiration were from world textiles, aquatic life forms, landscapes, and urban graffiti.
Bengt and Trefny use a combination of traditional Italian and Swedish glass blowing techniques as well as many experimental techniques that they have developed in their studio to create their work.