Biography

Growing up in Northport, Long Island, I was always fascinated with the flames of a campfire,the butterflies I collected, and the shells and creatures that appeared at low tide. Playing in the yard with sticks, stones, seeds and flowers, my imagination ran free.

Margaret Neher’s glass work reflects that lifelong fascination with the art found in nature. Four-time finalist and winner of the 2004 NICHE award, she is best known for her finely detailed orchids, which are prized by orchid growers for their realism, and have been said to "capture the soul" of the orchid.

Drawn to lampwork in 1991, Neher soon devoted herself exclusively to this centuries-old tradition in which glass rods and tubing are melted over a 3000-degree flame, and then handworked into detailed sculptural forms. No molds are used, and no two pieces are identical.     

Neher’s work is shown in many prominent shops and galleries, and is owned by collectors throughout the world. She makes her home in Ithaca, N.Y.