Jennifer Umphress’ work often draws inspiration from her environment. Born and raised in California, she began working with glass in 2000 while living in Hawaii. Umphress now lives and works in Kingston, Washington, where the Pacific Ocean continues to influence her work. “Although my inspiration comes from the ocean, I am most intrigued by capturing movement. I try to emulate the movement of sea life in a simple contemporary form,” says Umphress in her personal statement.

Umphress studied with Cesare Toffolo during a month long apprenticeship in Murano, Italy, and has taken workshops with Robert Mickelsen and Janis Miltenberger. Her work has been shown at galleries includingTransflamations at the Pilchuck Gallery in 2012. Umphress was awarded the Glasscraft Emerging Artist Award in 2010.

In her September 2013 Instructor Collaborative Residency, Umphress worked alongside Amy Rueffert and Carmen Lozar to explore flameworking techniques. She worked on the technical aspects of flameworking, with a focus on surface design and color and an emphasis on developing a conceptual narrative for her work.