This Portland Glassmaker's Craft Captures Both Art and Function

Perhaps no other craft demands as delicate a balance between rigor and improvisation as glassmaking. Portland-based Lynn Read knows this well. Since founding his studio, Vitreluxe, in 1999, he has walked the delicate line between art and utility, creating glass vessels and light fixtures that are as alluring as they are functional. LUXE spoke with Read about his past, present and future in glass.

How did you get started?

I came to glass through painting. Color was my first language—its emotional weight, both grounding and atmospheric, drew me in. Over time, my interest in materiality and in how color could exist in physical form brought me to glass. It holds light and color in motion like nothing else. Its malleability is endlessly versatile.

What has kept you in glassmaking all these years?

Glass is a profoundly honest material; working with it inspires a level of craftsmanship that’s become central to my life. It demands presence and rewards patience. Over time, I’ve come to see glass as a philosophy of making that is rooted in discipline yet always open to improvisation. That tension between control and surrender is what keeps me engaged.

What’s next for Vitreluxe?

This winter, I’m opening my Portland showroom to the public on the first Saturday of every month and by appointment. It’s been a long time coming, and I’m excited to connect with the community. Artistically, my next adventure is upcycling salvaged window glass. Drawing on the chemistry knowledge I’ve gained over the past two years, I’m creating a soft, tinted glass palette of my own. Whatever the form, my work is meant to invite reflection—to hold space for beauty that is felt as much as seen.