Chaka is a Maine-based glass artist who has developed a style that mimics the natural formations of ice and snow. He began working with glass 20 years ago in western Massachusetts. His initial focus was on glass jewelry and sculpture but soon moved to hollow work and pipemaking. He has taken classes and workshops under many teachers and mentors including Robert Mickelsen, Loren Stump, Eusheen Goines, Milon Townsend and Dan Coyle, to name a few. The premise behind his current work is that glass can be appreciated as a medium through its relationship with the maker. Glassblowing being a process of melting and freezing, adding and subtracting is well represented through the metaphor of ice and its phase change to water. Chaka views his process as the most important part of the work, with the finished product to be appreciated by his collectors and invite curiosity of that process. He currently works and resides in Portland, Maine.