Fire is Our Medium.
Story is Our Material.
Meet Rashan Omari Jones — borosilicate lampworker, youth educator, studio founder, and lifelong student of the desert that shaped him.
Rashan Omari Jones
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Rashan Omari Jones
Executive Director & Lead Artisan
Rashan Omari Jones is an Albuquerque-based borosilicate lampworker, studio founder, and arts educator whose work lives at the intersection of craft, community, and the vast New Mexico landscape. He is the founder and Executive Director of High Desert Flameworks, Jones Art Glass, and High Desert Creative Arts — three interconnected ventures rooted in the belief that glass art should be alive, accessible, and deeply connected to place.
A graduate of Albuquerque Academy (Class of 1997), Rashan has spent more than two decades refining the art of lampworking — the practice of shaping molten borosilicate glass directly in a torch flame. His signature work includes hand-blown stemware, gold and silver fumed sculptural pieces, memorial keepsakes incorporating cremains, and functional designs that honor both beauty and use.
Rashan is also a dedicated youth arts educator. Through High Desert Creative Arts, he has developed curriculum and programming that brings flameworking and glass arts into the lives of young New Mexicans — giving them a physical language for emotional expression at the torch.
Currently pursuing an Associate of Arts in Psychology at Central New Mexico Community College, with plans to transfer to the University of New Mexico and continue toward a Master's degree in Art Therapy, Rashan is fusing his lifelong artistry with a formal academic grounding in human development and healing — a synthesis that shapes every class he teaches and every piece he creates.
Our Three Pillars
Every decision at High Desert Flameworks flows from the same foundational commitments.
Craft Without Compromise
Every piece that leaves this studio — from a first student's glass flower to a commission for a collector — is made with the same exacting attention to material, flame, and intention. We do not cut corners at the torch.
Access & Education
Glass art has historically been gatekept by cost and geography. High Desert Flameworks exists to change that — through public-access studio time, tiered class pricing, and youth programming designed to reach students who have never seen a torch lit.
Rooted in the Desert
New Mexico is not a backdrop — it is an active collaborator in our work. The canyon reds, sage greens, turquoise skies, and high-altitude light of the Southwest inform our palette, our forms, and our sense of scale. This place is in our glass.
The Journey
Albuquerque Academy — Graduation
Completed secondary education at one of New Mexico's most distinguished institutions, establishing a lifelong foundation in rigorous inquiry and self-directed learning.
First Torch — Jones Art Glass Founded
Rashan lit his first torch and never looked back. Jones Art Glass was established as a professional studio practice specializing in borosilicate lampworking, stemware, and sculptural glass.
High Desert Creative Arts — Education Programming
Recognizing the transformative power of arts education, Rashan launched High Desert Creative Arts to bring glass and creative programming to youth across Albuquerque and surrounding communities.
High Desert Flameworks — Public Studio Opens
The culmination of two decades of craft: Albuquerque's only public-access glass studio. Open for classes, commissions, memorial consultations, and walk-in gallery viewing.
CNM → UNM → Art Therapy
Pursuing an AA in Psychology at CNM with plans to transfer to UNM for a Bachelor's degree, followed by a Master's in Art Therapy — fusing 20+ years of artistry with formal therapeutic practice.
Albuquerque's Only
Public-Access Glass Studio
High Desert Flameworks is a working studio, a teaching space, and a gallery — all in one. We hold open torches so that anyone curious about glass art can sit down, light a flame, and discover what they're capable of making. Our doors are open to beginners, to collectors, to families, and to artists seeking advanced training.