Today we’d like to introduce you to Chris Nordin.
Hi Chris , thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I am a 1990 graduate of the College for Creative Studies where I majored in glass works and minored in metalworking. As an artist, I always wanted to be as technically accomplished as possible to create any art he imagined. To that end, I am recognized as a master glass artist and an accomplished blacksmith and fabricator. At one point in my career, I was fortunate enough to train in Venice, Italy, and with one of the world’s most renowned glass innovators, Lino Tagliapietra. My passion for continually refining my craft allows me to design a limitless range of artwork, from forged steel sculpture to the most delicate Venetian stemware.
After establishing the thriving Glass Academy, LLC in Dearborn, MI with my wife and fellow artist, Michelle Plucinsky, and having great success in our seasonal work at the Michigan Renaissance Festival and Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio along with our appearances at Art Fairs across the country, I decided to step away from the family enterprises in 2019 to be able to focus on fostering close and personal connections with my clients.
For several years now, I have incorporated my mastery of materials when designing custom artwork for individuals and corporations, including artwork for Marriott International, the Detroit Institute of Arts and Mott Children’s Hospital. I am respected for my ability to translate a client’s ideas into an exciting design and, subsequently, a beautiful piece of art.
The establishment of my Memorial Fine Art business in 2019 was the realization of that dream where each memorial piece represents an exquisite union of client and artisan, a symphony of personal experiences and the virtuosity of a master glassblower.
Sculptural Reflections is the realization of my dream to offer expressive memorial fine art of high quality and unique design. I’m committed to bringing my experience in custom design and technical know-how to create artwork that can take on virtually any shape or size and I train my team with the same high standards of artistry and integrity. As a spiritual person, I seek to illuminate the human spirit and provide timeless sculptures that symbolically capture the memories of family and friends.
Many clients choose to encase a portion of the cremation remains within the structure of the glass. Since more and more funerals are moving toward cremations, projected to be 80% by 2030, and away from expensive burials, a portion of the cost savings of a cremation can be diverted toward a lasting creative expression of the life remembered with these highly-prized, museum-quality artworks.
With this powerful art form, I seek to honor the love shared and allow people to reflect upon their loved ones for years to come while keeping their memorial close by as part of daily life.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Market access has been the biggest hurdle. It is a natural fit for Funeral Homes to introduce Sculptural Reflections to their clients, so we created an affiliate program that is designed to be a win-win-win for everyone: Sculptural Reflections gains potential connection to the families and friends experiencing loss; the funeral home enjoys a generous commission; and the clients who work with me report that they feel supported in their grief and included in the design process for the creation of a fine art piece that reflects their memories as well as the spirit of their loved one.
In spite of the clear benefits, traditional funeral home directors can be conservative and wary of new ideas. With 60% of current funeral services going through the memorial and cremation pathway, there is a definite need for new ways to celebrate the lives of loved ones when there isn’t a graveside to visit. Sculptural Reflections fills a gap with attentive compassion and beautiful, museum-quality, memorials that become part of everyday life for our clients.
Funeral homes need to understand that Sculptural Reflections is a natural extension of their personalized services to their clients. Sculptural Reflections would like to encourage Funeral Homes to begin offering their clients a unique, one-of-a-kind experience that supports the grieving process in a far more personal way than picking out an image from a catalog.
Additionally, grassroots or word-of-mouth endorsements are what we hope for to extend our market access. Everyone will eventually lose someone important to them. We want people to remember Sculptural Reflections for when that time comes.
Though we have created several pet memorial sculptures, we have much yet to do to market to pet cemeteries, crematoriums and veterinary offices, but that’s definitely in the pipeline!
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
My creative journey has been driven by one primary mission – to create artwork that affects people in a way they never would have experienced had their paths not crossed. I feel honored to apply my attentiveness and sensitivity to memorial fine art clients and bring together my technical expertise with my desire to make unique memorial artwork that affects people in a positive and healing way. I love the challenge of creating art that has never been made before.
People who are moving through a significant loss of a friend, family member, or beloved pet are often limited by what they see in a catalog for choosing how to keep their loved one close by. Sculptural Reflections is different in that each sculpture is made-to-order with reverence for the life being memorialized. Myself and my team invite stories and pictures of their loved one from each of our clients so as to keep our focus on the life being honored during the entire creation process.
Whether it’s the client before me or the life of the one being memorialized, each person is unique and the artistic goal for me is to express this individuality. Every consultation is a one-of-a-kind experience in the creation of a one-of-a-kind memorial fine art sculpture.
While I am sometimes referred to as The Glassman, I am also an accomplished blacksmith and woodworker. As a master craftsman and artist, I love bringing these skill sets together in a single piece of artwork. These are my signature estate and custom pieces that are beloved by our clients. Still, even the smallest sculpture is produced with the same reverence as we have for an estate piece.
Do you have recommendations for books, apps, blogs, etc?
Art school, even at the college level, doesn’t teach creative people how to become entrepreneurs. My wife, Michelle, and I have worked hard to understand how to create businesses around our passion for creativity. We have been inspired by listening to the podcast titled, “How I Built This” which features stories from entrepreneurs of how they built their business through their personal trials and errors.
We have also taken advantage of Zingtrain, the business training and development arm of the famous Zingerman’s Deli, the wildly successful Ann Arbor restaurant businesses.
Additionally, “The Russell Brunson Show” has helped me develop my spiritual approach to business and life.
I love to pass on my skills, techniques and enthusiasm for art and entrepreneurialism. My family also runs The Glass Academy where people can come to observe glassblowing and take classes to try it out for themselves. Every Tuesday evening, we host an Facebook online glassblowing demonstration show that is picked up by viewers across the world!
At this time in my life, I appreciate time spent in meditation and hiking in nature with my dog, Poe. With such a busy mind, these moments help me to be grounded and ready for the next request for my creativity and empathy.
Pricing:
- Every custom order, including Estate Art and Custom Memorials begins with a $500 deposit and a time slot on Chris’s schedule for the consultation. The final price is determined by what is decided and by the design and client agreement.
- Custom Urn sculptures are initiated with the $500 deposit that opens Chris’s schedule to the client to book their consultation. Final costs are determined by the design and client agreement.
- Memorial Gazing Orbs rang from $650 – $950 and are suitable indoors or in the garden.
- Memory Hearts come in two sizes and are priced $200 or $300.
- Memory Spheres come in three sizes and are priced $200 – $400.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://sculpturalreflections.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sculpturalreflections
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sculpturalreflections
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sculptural-reflections/
- Email: nextsteps@sculpturalreflections.com
