 Tony Cray says he is a "pyro' with a passion for process."
No, he's not some thrill seeking teenager; Cray is a glassblower.
Cray's finely crafted work, along with glass pieces by Kaeko Maehata, Sam Stang and three to four other artists, will be featured at the Missouri Athletic Club's First Invitational Glass Exhibit on Dec. 8.
"These are some of the best (glass) guys in the Midwest," President Michael J. Hackett said.
These regional glassblowers will showcase their glass in a juried competition at the M.A.C. Judges from Washington University will rank the inspirational pieces.
"My approach to producing work is self-seeking," Cray said. "The work is about the work. It’s about the process. It’s about work in progress."
Cray owns and operates Snake Ranch Studio, located about 40 miles west of St. Louis, near the town of New Melle. His pieces, which he describes as "uniquely mine," will compete with various artistic expressions of the same element: glass. 
Maehata studied at
the Toyama Institute of Glass Art in Toyama, Japan. She was a graphic designer in Japan for almost 10 years before that. She is now married to fellow glassblower Sam Stang, who owns and operates Augusta Glass Studio in Augusta, Mo.
"My feeling about her work is that it's a different aesthetic than American pieces, in particular her goblets." Stang said. "I think that's what makes her stuff creative."
Stang attended Washington University in St. Louis and was a student of Fritz Dreisbach at Penland School of Crafts in 1983.
He started Augusta Glass Studio in Augusta Missouri in 1992, which he still operates as a sole proprietorship.
"All of my pieces are made by using traditional European
glassblowing techniques, Stang said. "Every piece I make is entirely produced hot at the furnace. The banded bowls are blown as separate sections and fused together. This technique, known as incalmo, requires a great deal of skill and cooperation."
Cray, Maehata, Stang and the other glass workers are truly artists. Their fragile masterpieces are made one at a time, using traditional glassblowing tools. Each piece requires the artist to work from a furnace containing clear molten glass that is more than 2,000 degrees.
"Colored glass is applied to each individual piece, enabling me to work from a virtually endless color pallet," Cray said. "I use only the finest base and colored glass available, in an attempt to produce some of the finest glassware ever."
Some of this fine glassware will be available for purchase at the exhibit, just like at an art show. Members and guests can browse at unique glass ornaments and other gift ideas while nibbling on complimentary hor d' oeuvres and sipping drinks from the cash bar. The Jack Buck Grille will also be open for a gourmet dinner to pair with the gourmet evening.
After the judges announce the winner of the competition, the pieces will move down in the Art Gallery for a week. There, they will be available for sale.
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