(2) Epiphany Glass Studios Sculptural Decorative Bowls. The larger piece has a zebra-like pattern on the outside with a purple interior and a light blue scalloped rim, while the smaller bowl shares a similar zebra-like purple pattern on the exterior but a vibrant green interior and a pink scalloped rim. Both signed and dated 1999 on the undersides. 

Size: 12 1/2 x 12 1/2 x 9 1/2 in. 

Epiphany Glass Studios was a world-renowned company based in Pontiac, Michigan, started by then husband-and-wife team April Wagner and Jason Ruff in 1995. Ruff, born in 1970, was studying ceramics in 1991 at the College for Creative Studies in Detroit when he enrolled in a glassblowing class taught by Herb Babcock which included his future partner (three years his junior). Together the two experimented together and built the studio into one of the most well-known in the Midwest, producing hundreds of abstract, kinetic, and highly-sought vases, bowls, paperweights, sculptures, and more that can still be found in countless public, private, and corporate collections. In 2007 Wagner was hit by a car while biking, and spent two years teaching herself how to walk, talk, and blow glass again. The economic collapse of 2008 forced them to downsize the studio and shift from functional wares into high-end pieces targeted at private buyers. Though they continued to collaborate for the next decade, they separated and eventually divorced in 2011, remaining close and supportive of each other while they began to focus on different artistic ventures. Tragically, Ruff was shot to death by his roommate on March 19th, 2020 during an argument about COVID-19 social distancing restrictions, but Wagner continues to make new art and serve on several arts organization boards in Michigan to support and encourage budding artists. 

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