Local artist Mitch Bedke takes his art to new heights

PARK CITY, Utah — Despite being very involved in the Park City art scene, Mitch Bedke has been able to take the time to develop his kiln formed glass skills to levels that let him compete on the national and even international level.

Bedke has been a Park City resident for over 25 years. As President of the Park City Artists Association he was a driving force behind the creation of CreatePC. Locally, he is best known for his glass fish and Buddha masks.

Learning from master glass artist Narcissus Quagliata

For the past eight months he has been taking Painting on Glass lessons online from Narcissus Quagliata. The 85-year-old master glass artist from Italy now lives in Mexico City. Quagliata is known for his glass fusing technique and his work can be seen all over the world in churches, airports and private collections.

Recently, he completed a three-week course at Pilchuck Glass School, the pre-eminent glass art school in the West, where Narcissus Quagliata taught 13 students in person. The students came from around the world and were chosen from 600 applicants. Bedke still glows with enthusiasm when he recalls the 10-to-12-hour days of learning and experimenting under the tutelage of Narcissus Quagliata. This was the first time Pilchuck Glass School offered this class. Quagliata’s technique opens up endless opportunities for artistic expression with glass.

Expanding and displaying his craft

Currently, Bedke is working on a glass artwork based on the famous portrait of Sitting Bull. At the 2025 Park City Kimball Arts Festival, the first one he participated in, he also displayed his glass mountain terrains. He casts these using molds he creates. He started developing these about two years ago. Locally, you can see Bedke’s work Aug. 31 and Sept. 14 at the Park Silly Sunday Market, at CreatePC and occasionally at MINERS9.