The glassblowing competition show, Blown Away, intrigued viewers by bringing them into the world of the unique craft. With its third season, released July 2022, many fans of the series are interested to see what prior contestants have been up to since their debut on the show.
From Leah Kudel to Deborah Czeresko, Blown Away has brought each season 1 competitor new opportunities to bring attention to their work and further their career. Many continue to create exciting, creative, and beautiful glass work today that is available to purchase for the most avid of fans (and can be seen on their social media profiles).
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Kevin Kiff
Kevin was introduced on the show as a University of Hawaii graduate, who attained a Bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts, and loved surfing and glass blowing. Despite ending the show in tenth place, he continues to make glass creations and sells or trades most of his work off his Facebook page, which seems to be mostly tumblers or glasses.
Recently, Kevin shared some unfortunate news on his page about a thief stealing his glassblowing tools, though he hopes to rebuild his set and continue to create.
Benjamin Kikkert
Fans know Benjamin as a graduate from the Sheridan College Craft & Design Program in Ontario who is also the president of the Glass Art Association of Canada. Benjamin is now mainly based in Vancouver and owns the Vancouver Studio Glass studio and gallery that provides classes, commissions, and pieces available to order from a variety of glass artists.
Benjamin was also featured on the front page of the Vancouver Is Awesome magazine where he discussed his work and overcoming the pandemic, which he announced in an Instagram post.
Edgar Valentine
Edgar was the youngest contestant of the season and was known to always be the first to finish in each competition. After ending up in eighth place, the Tacoma native returned to the international Netflix show in the first season of the spin-off Blown Away: Christmas.
Edgar has his own website where people can purchase his glass work, soft goods, and accessories and a few of his creations are on display at the Tacoma Art Museum. Edgar’s Instagram also includes many pictures and videos of his process and final products.
Annette Sheppard
Annette came onto the Blown Away as a management consultant by day and professional glassblower by night. Annette continues to glass blow today and works in the field of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning at Oracle.
Annette’s website displays all her creations, ranging from cute animal sculptures to interesting vases. She has many pictures of her adventures outdoors and her dog Poppy on her Instagram. Currently, Annette is undertaking a few other projects as well, including restoring a 1926 home and learning to play and build ukuleles.
Leah Kudel
Leah has a Bachelor’s in Art Education and Fine Art in Glass from the University of Alberta and Alberta College of Art and Design, respectively, and participated in multiple glass exhibitions and competitions.
Since ending in sixth on the show, she opened her own glassblowing studio and gallery named Suspended Studio in Edmonton, Canada. The studio offers classes for all ages, custom artwork, and collections available to purchase and ship online. Leah’s Instagram and website show a few of her creations, both glass and other medias.
Momoko “Momo” Schafer
Momo came onto the show in her residency at Worcester Center for Crafts Artists with a Bachelor’s in Fine Arts from Massachusetts College of Arts and Design. She interested viewers of the show with her unique and creative glass pieces.
Currently, she is Toots Zynsky’s studio assistant and has her work displayed at the Sandwich Glass Museum in Massachusetts, which she shared photos of on her Instagram. A few pieces of her art are available to purchase on her website, including lotus sculptures and small statues.
Patrick Primeau
The glassblower from Montreal was known on the dramatic Netflix reality TV show for his incredible skill and beautiful glass creations. He has pieces on display at the Montreal Fine Arts Museum and the Musée National des Beaux-Arts du Quebec.
He continues to create today for Studio Welmo, which he co-founded with Caroline Ouellette. On the website, people can shop for products and place custom orders. On Patrick’s Instagram, he updates his followers with many pictures and videos of what he’s been making and his process of doing so.
Alexander Rosenberg
Alexander placed third in both the first season of Blown Away and its spin-off Blown Away: Christmas. The Philadelphia artist won several grants before his time on the show, including the International Glass Prize.
Since then, Alexander was a professor at Salem Community College and is currently the Glass Studio Director at Wheaton Arts. He has been invited to several prestigious talks and has his work displayed in exhibitions across the world. Alexander continues to create beautiful glass lamps and goblets that he shares on his Instagram.
Janusz Poźniak
Janusz was a well-known glassblower even before the great reality TV show Blown Away, teaching workshops around the world and even working alongside Dale Chihuly.
Since the show, Janusz continues to work to grow his business Hohm-meyd, which he co-founded with his wife, Miishka, and spends time with his two children, Attila and Olek. Janusz’s still glassblows today and many of his art pieces, including vases, glass hearts, and other sculptures, are available to purchase on his website. The artist also teaches internationally in countries like Turkey and the Czech Republic.
Deborah Czeresko
Deborah came onto the show as a renowned glass artist from New York City with creative and untraditional ideas. Since winning the first season of Blown Away, Deborah asked to return as a guest judge for the following seasons.
She has her work on display in many museums around the world and was even featured in Time Magazine. Using her art, Deborah works towards breaking any stigmas around female and queer artists. Many of her unique creations, such as her Buffet Collection and her Forgotten Potatoes, can be found on her website.