Hannah Kirkpatrick holds a BFA in Glass from the Rhode Island School of Design and an M.Arch from The University of Michigan. She currently lives in Ann Arbor, MI working on public art and a craft based practice. Her craft and jewelry practice takes into consideration the rich, historical techniques and knowledge passed down from generations of glassmakers while leaving room open for experimentation to influence the process and objects. For the process of making her earrings she uses traditional methods of carving cameo glass but applies a modern approach to the design. The designs range from smooth gradients that derive from the quintessential beauty and luster of cameo glass to designs that pop with contrast and bright colors. These gradients and contrasts are made by thinning out the top layer of white glass through material removal, revealing more of the sub-color below. In her approach to functional blown glass, she focuses on simple, clean forms but allows a moment of mess to inform the outcome. The mess might manifest as the off-centering of an upright vase or letting a hot, unwieldy glob of glass drop on the form, creating a unique bottom to each glass. The experimentation and play with the traditional form creates a new function; allowing for a flower tilt towards eccentricity or the bottom of a glass to become a rolling landscape in which liquid can pool.