The Story behind a new colorful range of handblown glassware, designed by Darby and produced in conjunction with a master glassblower and artist, James McCleod, of Cleod Glassworks. This is a collection both designers are proud to co-brand.

The collection, which continues to grow, includes functional tabletop, barware, and gift items that are both beautiful and useful. Stay tuned for new additions to our bar and gift collection as the collaboration continues and coming soon; a limited-edition collection of table lamps.

A week or two into the design process for new colorful tabletop collection, a visit to the Addison Gallery at Phillips Academy in Andover Ma. and a chance encounter with Arthur Wesley Dow's colorful painting of Ipswich, Ma. stopped Darby dead in her tracks. One of Dow's boldly colored paintings, uncannily, incorporated the exact colors she had meticulously chosen for this new collection and was already testing with James in his glass factory. Upon reading the plaque about the artist, Darby soon realized that Dow, during the mid-1800s, had been working, painting, and teaching in the very same area where James has his factory and home (not far from Darby's own New England studio).

Darby had begun designing these new items for the home during the pandemic and committed to working with local craftsmen to produce these products for her growing lifestyle brand. James McCloed was eager to take on the collaboration. The subsequent discovery of Dow's painting incorporating the exact color palette she had chosen to work with - gave her goosebumps. She saw her encounter with Dow's work as an auspicious sign that the collaboration she and James were embarking on was destined to be...as if Dow was truly part of their conversation and collaboration - and so with James, Darby, and now Dow as posthumous muse the team forged ahead.

The rich color palette for this glassware collection is also inspired by Darby's jewelry designs and her love of colorful stones and textiles. The fun and quirky juxtaposition of these colors or the translucence of semi-precious can be replicated in blown glass items for the home. With hand-blown glass, light plays with the color and shapes adding nuance and beauty just as it does with stones set in jewelry or printed textiles in garments paired with bold accessories.

This collection includes items to grace a table or shelf and each piece serves a multiplicity of purposes and can be used to serve food & drink or hold cut flowers; items that are meant to be used and enjoyed -to be purposed and repurposed. Mix and match the colors in this covetable and collectible range just as Darby and Dow have done for maximum effect.

Once again, Darby Scott brings the thrill of Discovery to the shopping experience - you won't find these items anywhere else but here at darbyscottofficial.com.

(James is currently embarking on brand new custom lighting series. His stunning one-of-a-kind installations can be seen around the country in both commercial and residential settings). James, when he is not designing in his Ipswich studio or working magic by the 'hotbox', can also be found in his own retail stores in Rockport, Ma. and Charleston NC, and on TikTok, Instagram, and teaching at MassArt.

More about Arthur Wesley Dow Painter, Printmaker and educator can be found here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_Wesley_Dow

or visit the Ipswich Museum to see the largest single collection of Dow's works : https://ipswichmuseum.org/the-dow-collection/