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C hris Hurley spontaneously entered the CHAMPS Glass games this past summer to gain a little bit of exposure. After twenty years of glass blowing, he felt it was time to venture out of his Southern Oregon studio and test his skills. But he wasn't really concerned with winning anything other than a boost in his self-esteem. “I'm in competition with noone; just with myself. I just want my work to be better than it was the last time,” Hurley says. “It's a path I've been following, and I believe that you can go forward and grow as an artist much faster with that mentality because you won't replicate your techniques and executions.” Hurley certainly got a boost. His performance at the summer CHAMPS show earned him a spot in the Masters Finals during the winter trade show. And it was there that he swept both the judges and peoples choice awards – and more than $25,000 in cash and prizes. Hurley's talent has come a long way from where he started his glass blowing career at the furnace, cold working and assisting in the creation of vases and jars. continued on page 86 HQ TRADE MAGAZINE APRIL 2016 60