"My mom was a hippie. We just moved around,” Daniel Bell recalled with a laugh. Growing up, the owner of Red Flower Studios lived in numerous states, spending much of his childhood between Minnesota and Mississippi. His mother encouraged his independence and curiosity, while Daniel discovered early on that he loved working with his hands. Instead of conventional toys, he preferred pieces of wood and whatever materials he could find to build something.
An athlete in high school, Daniel considered playing college football as a kicker. After a year of school, however, he took a break and moved to Colorado. A chance encounter with someone from Park City brought him to Utah for what he thought would be a brief stay. Twenty plus years later, he is still here, although that has not stopped him from traveling whenever the opportunity arises. Accustomed to moving from place to place since childhood, Daniel found himself in Alaska where he was introduced to glassblowing and fell in love with the craft.
Determined to learn more, he enrolled at the Appalachian Center for Crafts, part of Tennessee Tech University, initially hoping to combine his interest in glass with football. Within two weeks, he had abandoned the latter. “All I wanted to do was glass.” For several years, he divided his time between studying in Tennessee and returning to Utah for the winters. A professor asked what he hoped to accomplish. When Daniel explained that he wanted his own studio, the professor encouraged him to leave school and open one. Daniel took his advice.
His first studio, Mohawk Steel and Glass, opened in 2016 on a friend’s Christmas tree farm in Mississippi. The arrangement provided a ready audience for handmade ornaments and opportunities for visitors to try glass blowing themselves. Date nights and other events soon followed. Building on that experience, Daniel opened Red Flower Studios in Park City, followed several years later by the Salt Lake location. The Park City space serves as his primary gallery, while Salt Lake places greater emphasis on classes, events, and introducing people of all ages to the craft.
Along the way, Daniel found a way to combine two of his passions. Having spent a dozen years working in Park City restaurant kitchens, he joined forces with his friend, chef Katie Dixon, to experiment with cooking using hot glass. The idea, first explored in Mississippi, evolved into five-course dinners now offered at both Red Flower studios where every dish incorporates hot glass in some fashion. “It’s all about the interaction. We’re trying to create a show.” Visitors can work alongside experienced glassblowers to make their own pieces, while corporate gatherings, private parties, and school field trips introduce others to the craft. The Salt Lake studio also hosts monthly exhibitions, often featuring emerging local artists who might otherwise struggle to find opportunities to show their work.
Beyond these activities, Red Flower is a working glassblowing business producing everything from drinking glasses, bowls, and vases to architectural lighting and large-scale installations. Chandeliers are a specialty. These ambitious projects are particularly appealing to Daniel. After years spent building the business, he is eager to devote more time to his own artwork.
Daniel credits his entrepreneurial spirit to his father, who always worked for himself, but it was his mother who encouraged him to pursue an unconventional career when others questioned his decisions. “I think my mother was the only person who said, go for it.”
Although Daniel has made Utah his home, he has never lost his appetite for travel. His two-year-old son has already accompanied him on dozens of flights, and Daniel continues to seek out unfamiliar places, drawn by the inspiration that comes from experiencing something new.
What distinguishes Daniel most is his willingness to share his craft. While some artists prefer to keep the public at a distance, he has built his studios around participation. “A lot of artists want to keep the public out and just have them buy their finished work. We ask you to come in and make work with us. Imagine. Create. Inspire.”
