Bendzunas Glass Paul Bendzunas was born in Oswego, New York in 1951. He earned his BSEd at the University of Georgia, in Athens. He minored in sculpture, and became fascinated with glass while in school. He subsequently studied at Penland School of Crafts, then joined a cooperative craft community and continued to teach himself, designing and making his own equipment, developing his colors and refining his forms. When asked why he chose glass for his medium, Paul responded, "I like the immediacy of glass. I can conceptualize and finish a piece in one process. Glass is like watercolor. It needs to be in your mind ahead of time and done swiftly. If you lose a piece, you learn something and go on to another. You learn to see the potential of the work and make allowances for those special things that happen when it is in process. You save the 'mistakes' you like and correct others." Paul is the recipient of many awards including the Award of Excellence for an Outstanding Body of Work from Piedmont Craftsmen, Inc. in 1999.