Team
Chris got his start in glass blowing when he first hopped on his friend’s Carlisle torch for fun 5 years ago. He instantly fell in love with the material and the endless possibilities it presented. His goal with glass is to find a way to incorporate his love of certain pop culture mediums (movies, video games, TV, heavy metal), into glass pieces.
Dominique Larson Glass Artist
Grant joined us in December 2022 and is an experienced production glass craftsman & creative artist. His artwork encompasses traditional techniques and forms and is a skilled glass blower as well as a talented glass sculptor.
I first joined the team in 2017 and was given a taste of the meticulous craftsmanship involved in order to install one of April’s masterful installations. My innate attention to detail and ‘can-do’ attitude were a welcome addition to team epiphany, and in 2018 I assisted April to ensure that her very first solo exhibition at the Saginaw Art Museum went off without a hitch. 2019 brought along our first time at the Architectural Digest Design Show (ADDS) in New York, with the debut of our handcrafted lighting line, La Ruche, which was oh-so-well received by Interior Designers and Consultants in attendance. Right before the pandemic happened in March of 2020, our studio manager Mary Griffin retired. Over the years she helped to instill an ability of resourcefulness that I have had the pleasure of finessing in my own way, learning much from the foundations that she helped me build.
You may hear my laugh before you see me coming which is sure to bring a smile to any face, and my ability to see the silver lining in every opportunity were a great fit into our tight-knit team. At the studio you will find me loving on the kitties whenever I can, buzzing around during our open studios or hands-on experiences, sharing bits of knowledge or wonderful stories from along the way. I am always glad to help answer any questions that I can. Taking the initiative to dig in and help April keep this well-oiled machine running, we have worked closely to develop and maintain processes & procedures to help everything at the studio run smoothly. My hands are usually involved in our larger projects as I get the pleasure of supporting April in ensuring she is able to bring her visions of transformation to life!
Angel is our new Social Media Marketing and Content Creator. Angel earned her BFA in Graphic Design from the University of Georgia – GO DAWGS! She has enjoyed a diverse creative career, including years as an award-winning art director for print design and advertising, before migrating into the world of textile and rug design. As a glass art lover, she enjoys using all of her design and marketing skills to help promote the beautiful things created by April Wagner and her team of artists at epiphany studios. In her free time, Angel enjoys photography, alcohol ink painting & creating original art for print and textiles.
Paul has been working for epiphany for over six years. He maintains the studio equipment, and creates and designs all of our custom metal work. He also advises on and assists with design, installation, and transportation of custom projects. Paul is an incredibly friendly and warm guy. He’s willing to lend a helping hand wherever and whenever we may need. We’re not sure what we’d do without him!
Gretchen Ruff was born and raised in the western suburbs of Chicago. However, she has lived, raised a family and worked in the Detroit area for the last 50 years and is a proud supporter of the city. She was educated at the University of Wisconsin and Wayne State, graduating from Wayne with a double major in English Literature and Art History.
The first phase of her career was spent at the J.L.Hudson Co. where she rose from being a fashion model to the Director of Events and Publicity for the 27 Hudson stores. She had wonderful mentors including Fred Marx, Madeline Coe, and Brenda Rosenberg who helped her polish her skills as an event marketer.
When Hudson’s moved their marketing headquarters to Minneapolis, Gretchen shifted into the second phase of her career, joining DMBB, a GM Advertising agency, as the first event marketer to join an automotive account team in the history of automotive marketing. The experiment was a success. Eventually Gretchen would lead the integrative marketing teams, as a senior officer, for DMBB, BBDO (Chrysler) and Wunderman (Ford).
Gretchen retired from the agency business after 25 years and went into phase three of her career when she joined Saks Fifth Ave. as a personal shopper and brand ambassador for two designer fashion lines. She retired from Saks one year after meeting her life partner, Dale Mclellan, in order to facilitate merging their two homes into one. Their home includes the varied art collections of each of them, including over 35 pieces of epiphany glass which Gretchen has collected over the last 25 years.
Gretchen has supported the development of April Wagner as an artist since April was attending CCS and takes particular joy in her ever growing reputation and success.
Mike has been working for epiphany for over a decade. He consults and advises on general maintenance, studio operations, design installation, and transportation of custom projects. He is our resident handy man and jack of all trades. He also has a great laugh. Like, really great. Mike can do it all, and he spares no effort in assisting with the studio’s various needs.
This handsome guy is Cat Jack White (he may or may not be related to the musician). He is part of our feral colony of kitties that live outside the studio. He warmed up to us and now has run of the studio! He can be found in the office sleeping on keyboards or the printer, hiding in the shipping room among the boxes, or watching the artists work in the studio. He’s a welcome addition and has already been completely spoiled. His favorite things are tuna and catnip. If you see him around, make sure to give him a scratch!
Shiva and Brahma are our resident Studio Cats, and they perform their non-existent duties admirably. We’re all cat lovers, and we’re always delighted when April brings these sweet baby angels into the studio. The cats assist with inspiration, motivation, cuddling, naps, squirrel hunting, and some occasional paperwork. They are both, objectively speaking, good kitties. I might even go so far as to say that they are VERY good kitties. I mean just look at those faces! Ugh.
