The Way of the Artist includes 64 artworks by glass artist Richard Marquis, together with more than 300 objects from his extensive collections of ephemera — hats, rubber toys, buoys, hammers, hose nozzles, oil cans and more. The exhibition focuses uncharacteristically on the home, studio and collections of the artist, as well as his chosen medium of glass. Historically, galleries and museums have devoted only scant attention to these particulars, yet these are integral parts of every artist’s life and can serve as an avenue to enhanced understanding of an artist’s oeuvre. Barry Behrstock, curator of the exhibition and author of the accompanying book, brings a fresh perspective to the consideration of what it means to be an artist.

Marquis has been an artist working in glass for more than 40 years. He attended UC Berkeley in the 1960s and studied in Italy with the glassmakers at Murano, developing the techniques that have made him a leader in the studio glass movement. He is renowned internationally for his own work as well as for his innovations in glass-working techniques and his teaching acumen.

Behrstock is a physician, writer, photographer and glass artist. He completed his undergraduate education at UC Berkeley, and his medical degree at UC San Francisco. He has published “The Parent’s When-Not-to-Worry Book” and “Lying as Still as I Can,” and has participated in numerous international volunteer medical expeditions. His artwork has been included in photography and glass exhibitions.

His 182-page, cloth-bound book, ”The Way of the Artist,” is a thought-provoking collection of essays by Behrstock, illustrating his ideas with glassworks, collections and photographs from the home and art of Marquis. While exploring Marquis’s way of life as representative of “a life well-lived,” Behrstock brings the reader into the game as he muses on Marquis’s creativity. He shares thoughts from Eastern philosophy, quantum physics, and his own experience to highlight and celebrate each individual’s unique importance in the creative human equation. The publication is available for purchase at the exhibition or from www.grandcentralartcenter.com.