Marioni, Dante

Place: Mill Valley

Born: 1964

Biography:

Dante Marioni is an American glass artist born on March 3, 1964, in Mill Valley, California. He grew up among many artistic influences, including his father, Paul Marioni, who was involved in the American studio glass movement. Dante was exposed to the glassblowing artists of the San Francisco Bay Area and began to study glassblowing at The Glass Eye in Seattle. He spent summers at the Pilchuck Glass School in Stanwood, Washington, where his father taught. After graduating from high school, he started to pursue glassblowing as a career, working full-time at The Glass Eye. Marioni learned the art of glassblowing from masters like Lino Tagliapietra, Benjamin Moore, and Richard Marquis. He has taught in the United States, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, and Europe. Marioni’s ensemble of glass vessels includes variations of vases, goblets, flasks, cups, and pitchers. His works reveal combinations of classical Greek, Italian, and modern forms using opaque and transparent colors. Some of Marioni’s pieces employ 'reticello', which resembles a net, and murrine (mosaic) techniques. As he has refined his technical skills, he tends to design with tall, sleek shapes.