Elegant yet earthy this footed bowl elevates shards to a new level. Created with two Patron bottles, one large frosted bottle was broken and fired back together to form an organic shaped bowl, a smaller bottle was trimmed and bonded to the bowl to elevate it in an stylish way. My design “Elevated Shards” was selected as a finalist in Patron’s “Art of Patron” contest in 2013

Wine bottles are often the witness to many good times and laughter with family and friends. Now you can tile your space with remnants from past parties and gatherings. Custom sizes and color combinations available.

“Ice & Snow”, a 5′ x 3′ mosaic is made of fused bottle glass, faceted crystals, bevels and stained glass, and depicts a selection of snowflakes, each one unique.

“I wanted to evoke the feeling of that moment of quiet and peaceful beauty that comes with snowfall,” said Northup, 38. In addition to his outdoor works, Northup also makes mosaics for kitchens and bathrooms, fused glass jewelry and functional tableware items and sculptures made from recycled glass bottles.

Ancient life‐forms or aliens from the future?

Hacking my way through a jungle of twisted possibilities and melting temperatures, these are the nine plants I found and have brought back from the journey to show.  These fantastical new species of plants are born of two passions of mine, glass and growing plants. All it took was an amazing opportunity to place them in the Oak Park Conservatory to cause the ideas for plants made of everyday bottle glass to germinate and come to life in my studio/laboratory.

 It was an exciting challenge to conceive of these evolutionary oddities and an enlightening process that has expanded my interest in sculpture with recycled glass and convinced me to consider this just a starting point.

One of my sculptures can still be found in the Desert room at the conservatory. I donated the piece at the end of the exhibit so the magical combination on glass and plants could be discovered again and again.

I was fortunate to have my Broken Bottle Bowl design chosen for inclusion for the Fall 2012 Catalog Chicago Art Institute Museum Shop. 

The Art Center – Highland Park along with HilCo Properties is producing “The Magic Garden,” an outdoor public art exhibit in downtown Highland Park, Spring through Summer 2012. I have been fortunate to have my design for one of the mushrooms selected and included in the exhibit.

Oak Park glass artist, Bryan Northup, transforms shards left in the wake

of the devastating June 30, 2011 hail storm into one-of-a-kind art bowls featuring hail-marked white wash. Supporters and patrons who purchase

a bowl will not only own a historic piece of the conservatory and be supporting a local artist, but will also contribute to the ongoing reconstruction efforts of the famous and beloved Chicago landmark.

Northup, who was already working extensively with recycled bottle glass was thrilled to work on a project that so seamlessly fit into what he was already making in his studio, and for a cause dear to the artist’s heart.

“If I wasn’t in the studio creating with glass you would find me in the
garden tending plants.  Anything I can do to help restore one of my favorite places.”

The shards that make up each ”Catching Hail” bowl are historical records. The glass was whitewashed at the time of the storm to reflect the summer sun but also acted as a canvas for millions of hail stones to leave their mark. Those hail strikes in the whitewash are now fired on to the glass.

The bowls entitled “Catching Hail” were released in November 2011 to benefit the ongoing rebuilding efforts at the Conservatory.  Since then hundreds have sold. The bowls will be available in the Garfield Park Conservatory gift shop until all the collected shards have been repurposed.

I am proud to be included in this first and most comprehensive book on the subject of recycled glass sculpture and design.