Master Glass Artist & Sculptor

Chris Nordin’s artistic journey has always been guided by a single purpose: to create artwork that deeply impacts people’s lives.

Trained at Detroit’s College for Creative Studies, Chris combined glass with metal, stone, and wood to master mixed-media sculpture. Driven to refine his craft, he trained in Venice, Italy, under world-renowned glass innovator Lino Tagliapietra. This rare dual-mastery as both a master glassblower and an accomplished blacksmith allows him to create everything from forged steel sculptures to delicate glasswork.

Over nearly three decades, Chris co-founded Michigan’s renowned Glass Academy and built an extensive portfolio of commercial, healthcare, and residential installations through Chris Nordin Studios—creating commissioned art for organizations like Marriott International, the Detroit Institute of Arts, and Mott Children’s Hospital.

Today, Sculptural Reflections represents the heart of Chris’s work. Stepping back from large commercial projects, he now focuses on intimate, personal collaboration with grieving families. By combining technical mastery with deep empathy, Chris and his team craft light-infused memorial art—incorporating cremation remains, locks of hair, small momentos, or cherished memories—to honor loved ones and offer a lasting source of solace.

Crazy Wisdom Journal wrote a beautiful article about Chris Nordin’s artful process in creating Memorial Fine Art before he changed the name of his business to Sculptural Reflections.

Though the article carries the old name of Ashes in Art Glass, the spirit of Chris’s purpose and process are the same. You can find the article here. We are grateful to Crazy Wisdom Journal and Christine MacIntyre for beautifully capturing the essence of Chris Nordin’s artistry and intentions.