For two decades David’s creative energies primarily found an outlet in music, but a blowpipe and furnace have firmly replaced his guitar and amp. A former corporate marketing professional, a glassblowing class in 2001 ignited such a passion that he transitioned his professional career from the software world to full-time glass artist.
David has been guest artist at the Corning Museum of Glass and studied at Pilchuck Glass School, founded by Dale Chihuly and John & Anne Hauberg in Stanwood, Washington. In 2010, David was selected as Artist in Residence in Seto City, Japan, spending a month lecturing, demonstrating his work through an award from the Seto City Art and Cultural Foundation. Primarily self-taught, David grew his skills through experimentation informed by observing talented local artists and a few visits with Afro Celotto, maestro and former assistant to Lino Tagliapietra from Murano, Italy. David has received awards for his work including an artistic merit scholarship for a class at Pilchuck. His book David Patchen, Glass is in the permanent collection of the Rakow Library at the Corning Museum of Glass and the Fondazione Giorgio Cini, Centro Studi del Vetro (Glass Study Center Library) in Venice, Italy.
David is actively involved in the glass arts community as Chairman Emeritus of the Board of Directors at Public Glass (San Francisco’s center for glass art), member of the Pilchuck Leadership Council and former member of the Board of Directors, Glass Alliance of Northern California. David maintains a private studio within Public Glass where he creates his work. He enjoys and finds inspiration in international travel, the marine environment, science, nature and architecture.
David’s work is known for its intense colors, intricate detail and meticulous craftsmanship, is in numerous private collections, museums and is exhibited internationally. Born and raised in New York, David Patchen now resides in San Francisco.
- Seto City Art Museum, Japan
- Imagine Museum, St. Petersburg, FL
- Ritz-Carlton, Hong Kong
- Peninsula Hotel, Paris
- Island Hotel, Newport Beach, CA
- Crown Plaza, Shanghai (Presidential Suite)
- Regent Cruise Lines
- Royal Carribean
- Jack Welsh, GE
- Jeff Immelt, GE
- Sam Palmisano, IBM
- Arnold Fisher – CEO, Fisher Brothers Development
- Elton John
- Mark Parker – CEO, Nike
- Vinod and Neeru Khosla – Khosla Ventures
- Herb Kelleher – Founder, Southwest Airlines
- Marcia Goodstein and Bill Gross – CEO, Idealab
- George and Mary Wheyerhouser
- Ken Tuchman – CEO, TeleTech
- James Della Collection
- Jack and Aviva Robinson
- Zeke Friedlander
- George C. Halvorson – Chairman, Kaiser Permanente
- Michael J. Critelli – CEO, Dossia
- Habatat Galleries, Royal Oak, MI – “International Glass Award Exhibition”, May 2019
- Montague Gallery, San Francisco, CA – “Survey Bay Area” group show, Mar. 2019
- Elder Gallery of Contemporary Art, Charlotte, NC – “Transparency” group show and demo, Jan. 2019
- Elder Gallery of Contemporary Art, Charlotte, NC – “Come Curious” group show, Oct. 2017
- Corning Museum of Glass, Corning, NY – Guest Artist demonstrations, May 2017
- Glass Wheel Studio, Norfolk, VA – Layered Up Invitational, Mar. 2017
- Aerena Galleries, Napa, CA – “Unbreakable” Feb. 2017
- Duncan McClellan Gallery, St. Petersburg, FL – “Patchen’s Patterns” demo, museum lecture and new work, Nov. 2016
- Morgan Contemporary Glass Gallery, “Bound by Glass”, June – Sept 2016
- Wheaton Arts and Cultural Center, “Raising Cane” Apr. 2016
- Gallery 212/Fresco Art, ‘Lost in Abstraction’, Miami, Feb. 2016
- Michelangelo Fine Art, Calgary “Modernity”, Jan. 2016
- Art Palm Beach, K. Allen Gallery, Jan. 2016
- SOFA (Sculpture, Objects, Functional Art) Chicago, Nov. 2015
- Arvada Center for the Arts and Humanities; “Fired” (Sept. 17 – Dec. 20, 2015)
- 555 California Concourse Gallery, “David Patchen, Vitreous Tapestry” Jul. – Oct 2015
- Gump’s, San Francisco, CA, “Masters of Glass” Jul. 2015
- Art Palm Beach, K. Allen Gallery, Jan. 2015
- Chihuly Collection, St. Petersburg, FL, “Italian Traditions” Jan. 2015
- SOFA (Sculpture, Objects, Functional Art) Chicago, Nov. 2014
- Taos Art Glass Invitational, Oct. 2014
- Hsinchu Glass Art Festival, Taiwan, July 2014
- Chihuly Collection, St. Petersburg, FL, “Glasscentric” Apr. 2014
- Stewart Fine Art, Boca Raton, FL, “David Patchen: “The Color and Pattern”, Jan 2014
- Art Palm Beach, Tansey Contemporary, Jan. 2014
- SOFA (Sculpture, Objects, Functional Art) Chicago, Nov. 2013
- Featured Artist: Kuivato Gallery, Oct, 2013
- Union University, Jackson, TN; solo show David Patchen: Details
- Polk Museum of Art, Lakeland, FL; ‘Polk County Collects’, Jul. 2013
- Art Shanghai, International New Glass Art Exhibition, Feb. 2013
- Duncan McClellan Gallery, St. Petersburg, FL – “Distant Visions II” Jan. 2013
- International Contemporary Glass Exhibition – Shanghai, China, Feb. 2013
- Pilchuck Glass School, Annual Auction (juried) – Seattle, WA, Oct. 2012
- Museum of Glass Red Hot; juried into live auction – Tacoma, WA, Sept. 2012
- Duncan McClellan Gallery, St. Petersburg, FL – “Focus: David Patchen” Aug. 2012
- Stewart Fine Art, Boca Raton, FL – “Bloom” Apr. 2012
- Marshall-LeKae Gallery, Scottsdale, AZ – Glass Invitational, Mar. 2012
- Duncan McClellan Gallery, St. Petersburg, FL – “Distant Visions” Jan. 2012
- JRB Art At the Elms, Oklahoma City – ‘Cutting Edge Glass,’ Aug. 2011
- Museum of Glass, Tacoma – ‘Red Hot,’ Jul. 2011
- Kunstmesse Dusseldorf – Dusseldorf, Germany, Feb. 2011
- Vienna International Art Show – Vienna, Austria, Nov. 2010
- Temple Arts Festival, Nashville, TN – invited artist, Apr. 2010
- Seto City Museum, Seto City Japan; Artist in Residence Exhibition, Mar. 2010
- Stewart Fine Art, Boca Raton, FL – “Simple Addition and Subtraction,” Dec. 2009
- Vienna International Art Show – Vienna, Austria, Nov. 2009
- ArtSpan – San Francisco Private Preview Gala (Juror’s Choice Award), Oct. 2009
- Sausalito Art Festival – invited artist, Sept. 2009
- Pismo Fine Art Glass, Aspen, CO – New work by David Patchen, Stig Persson, July 2009
- The Bender Gallery, Asheville, NC – New work by David Patchen, June 2009
- Art Forte, Seattle – Into Nature, June 2009
- Art Forte, Seattle – Zen Organic, May 2009
- Gump’s, San Francisco – Pearl; Inspiring Design and Desire, Apr. 2009
- Glass Alliance of Northern California – Lecture & Demo, Mar. 2009
- SOFA (Sculpture, Objects and Functional Art) Chicago, Nov. 2008
- Pilchuck, Seattle – Annual Auction (juried), Oct. 2008
- Judy Youens Gallery, Santa Fe, NM – Opening Show, Jul. 2008
- JRB Art At the Elms, Oklahoma City, OK – Glass Invitational, June 2008
- Micaela Gallery, San Francisco, CA – New work by David Patchen, David Ruth, Julie Lazarus, Nov. 2007
- Pismo Fine Art Glass, Denver – Murrine Mystique (group all-murrine show), Oct. 2007
- National Liberty Museum, Philadelphia, PA – Glass Now Auction, Oct. 2006
- Gump’s, San Francisco, CA – California Creations Group Show, Jul. 2006
- Glass Art Society – Annual Conference, live auction (juried), Jun. 2006
- Santa Barbara Museum of Art – Annual Auction, May 2006
- ArtsFest, San Francisco – Spectra Ball (juried), Apr. 2006
- Santa Barbara Ballet – Arts Fundraiser, Apr. 2006
- New York Artexpo; Javits Center New York, NY, Mar. 2006
- Public Glass, San Francisco, CA – Not So Clear Group Show (juried), Oct. 2005
- Gump’s, San Francisco – Lead artist in California Transformation Group Show, Jul. 2005
- Public Glass, San Francisco – Keep Us Hot live auction (juried), Apr. 2005 – 2007
- ArtSpan – Open Studios exhibitor, demonstrator, Oct. 2003 . 2008
- Bay Area Glass Institute – Annual Live Auction (juried), Jan. 2004 . 2009