Skip to main content
OUR STORY

Since 2002, Orbix Hot Glass has distinguished itself through refined, handmade glassware and enduring connections with those who value clean design, dependable service, and exceptional quality. What began as a small studio and gallery has grown into a practice rooted in craft, place, and people.

For owners Cal and Christy Breed, Orbix began as an idea in the late 1990s—long before it had a name. In the years leading up to its founding, Cal studied at schools across the country, learning from some of the best glass artists in the world. When it came time to establish a studio, the choice was easy: Alabama was home, with all its charm and subtle grace.

That landscape continues to whisper through the Orbix collection, remaining a constant backdrop to the studio.

Today, Orbix resides on 40 acres bordering Little River Canyon National Preserve, just miles from where Cal and Christy first met and spent countless days scaling steep cliffs and paddling turbulent waters. The rhythm and power of this place are woven into the work we make.

From one perspective, Orbix reflects our personal paths and their intersections with the many others who cross our orbit. From another, it speaks to the process of glassblowing itself—a discipline that requires constant motion, continual turning, and a commitment to always moving forward. Together, these ideas shape Orbix and reflect our greatest passions: people and glass.

Today, we strive to create honest, excellent work—pieces someone would welcome into their life. Cal leads a team of skilled glassblowers who handcraft each piece with close attention to form, balance, and color.

We hope you experience the same level of care in our service: impeccable, timely, and personal. We create one-at-a-time glassware for individuals who value one-at-a-time attention.

Glass art is what we were meant to do, and it would not be possible without those who appreciate it.

Thank you for inviting Orbix into your life. We are grateful that our paths have crossed.

MEET THE TEAM
ERIC HARPER

In 2007, Eric unknowingly began his glassblowing career at Orbix Hot Glass. He started by sweeping and helping around the shop. Before he knew it, Cal had him making his first paperweight for himself – and that was it. Eric had found a home at Orbix.

In 2008, Eric attended Pilchuck Glass School. There I took a class lasting three weeks taught by Randy Walker, and the next year a class by Dave Walters.

Since then, he has continued to sharpen skills of his chosen trade. Eric loves that the technical challenge of working in glass gives him the opportunity to make pieces that reflect his feelings and views. Eric’s work is about finding flow, both in the process of making a piece itself and in the finished design. To him, you cannot have one without the other.

CAL BREED

Cal Breed, a native of Florence, Alabama, is recognized as one of the Southeast’s most seasoned glass artists/sculptors.

The functional work of Orbix has been used for years as a tool to sharpen his sensitivities to the material as well as to teach and refine the craftsmanship and the artistic skills of his team.

As a tool for learning, Cal has made it a habit to seek out mentors to learn from and share experience with.  Among these are many glass artists including Cam Langley, Paul Cunningham, Ruth King, Jack Wax, Dante Marioni, Dick Marquis, Lino Tagliapietra, Pino Signoretto, Benjamin Moore, Karen Willenbrink-Johnsen, and Richard Royal at The Ohio State University, The Haystack Mountain School of Crafts, Pilchuck Glass School, and individual studios.  To continue this heritage of sharing through mentorship, Cal makes it a part of his lifestyle to share with younger learners and artists of life.  His studio is set up as a sort of incubational space for younger artists to develop.  Along with teaching the young artists in his studio, Cal also has taught classes at Pilchuck Glass School and Tennessee Tech.

Inspired at an early age by the inquisitive work of the marine explorer Jacques Cousteau, Cal pursued the process of learning to see the unseen through the study of the sciences and immersing himself in a lifestyle of adventurous exploration like ultra-running, hiking, whitewater kayaking, and paragliding.

As this joy for learning has flowed over into the love of glass as an expressive material, Cal’s lifelong love of practice and observation, along with 29 years of time developing an intuitive feel for glass and a poetic approach to this material has proved to be a uniquely personal way to fluently express ideas.

Breed’s work is found in many private and public collections, including The Huntsville Museum of Art, The Wiregrass Museum of Art, and The Montgomery Museum of Art, and Huntsville City Hall.

JILL BITTNER

Jill’s first experience with glass was when, looking for a creative outlet, she began taking lessons in stained glass. The desire to delve deeper into the possibilities of the material led her to the hot shop at the Appalachian Center for Craft, where she earned her BFA in glassblowing from Tennessee Technological University. Her graduating solo thesis exhibition “Tale of Whale”, which follows the day of a whale living on land, contains several of her favorite pieces to date.

Jill draws influence from all things cute and colorful. She hopes that through her work she is able to transmit playfulness and provoke a smile in her viewers. Her latest creations include pop-culture planters and a variety of flavored sculpted milkshakes.

Jill has been blowing glass at Orbix since 2021.