Eric Markow and Thom Norris are noted for creating woven glass kimonos, which have been called “impossibly beautiful.” The kimonos weigh an average of 125 pounds. Eric and Thom fire their glass in nine Paragon kilns. “Now that we’ve done all our testing, and have actually cooked sculpture in the Pearl-56, it is our favorite kiln and we love the even, consistent heat,” they said.

Q. When were you introduced to glass fusing?

A. Thom: In 2002, our good friend Nancy Weisser (also our glass distributor) invited us to attend a class involving glass powders in a kiln. We were completely absorbed by the glass making process and intended to purchase a kiln to make our own colorful custom glass for our windows. Once we started playing with the warm/hot glass, we never made another stained-glass window. We now have nine Paragon kilns.

Q. Who are the most interesting glass teachers you have studied under?

A. Thom: We are mostly self-

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By Arnold Howard

Ceramics is one of the world's oldest arts. I learned how special it is when I was 12 years old living in Tripoli, Libya on the Mediterranean coast.

During our three-year stay in Tripoli, my family visited the ruins of Leptis Magna, an ancient Roman coastal city in the Libyan Desert. The city is like a mirage rising from the past surrounded by vast stretches of emptiness.

I can remember the day as clearly as if it were yesterday. It was a quiet, sunny afternoon when we strolled through the streets of Leptis Magna. We stepped over the ruts that chariots had worn into the cobblestones. We walked past stone pillars, which had collapsed and were scattered across the sand. Statues of Roman athletes and statesmen, once covered with sand, stared vacantly at us with their hollow eyes, just as they had long ago.

From a hill, I looked past the great field of ruined, silent buildings, to the dark blue Mediterranean in

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