Ancient Rings 90 by Jim Scheller

Jim Scheller is a kiln-form glass artist whose work explores the tension between structure and spirit. In his ongoing Ancient Rings series, Scheller composes each vessel from thousands of individually cut pieces of sheet glass, arranged with painstaking precision. The results are flowing, layered forms that evoke natural rhythms, ancient motifs, and contemporary abstraction.

With a background in mechanical engineering, Scheller brings an analytical eye to his materials, but his process is driven just as much by intuition and reflection. His transition from industry to art began in 2013 with a two-hour introductory class and grew through years of disciplined experimentation. As his technical mastery deepened, so did the expressive language of his work—each piece becoming not just a vessel but a meditation on pattern, memory, and transformation.

Scheller’s work has been exhibited nationally, including at Third Degree Glass (St. Louis), CraftForms 2024, the 2025 Crocker-Kingsley Biennial, and Philabaum Glass Gallery (Tucson). His vessels are known for their refined form, intricate surface composition, and quiet but resonant presence.

He lives and works in Illinois, where he continues to expand the Ancient Rings series and refine the techniques behind it. He believes in glass as both a material and a metaphor—complex, precise, and capable of profound emotional weight.

He still talks to the glass.