A life in the fire
From the 619 to the PNW · since 2001
A self-described misfit skater-kid from Blythe, California, Ronnie left high school his senior year on the advice of his principal. He headed to Yellowstone, riding in VW buses and soaking up hippie culture along the way.
At a rock and gem show in Quartzsite, Arizona, he watched a flameworker coloring glass with gold. Hearing about a life on the road with a torch, he knew he wanted to blow glass for the rest of his life. After a brief class, he was told he was a natural.
He bought a starter kit and a tutorial tape and practiced in 120-degree heat on the porch, wasting a ton of glass and refusing to quit. That first year he made $7,000 selling pipes. He’s been at the torch since 2001 — a family man first, then the fire.
He moved to El Cajon, picked up his high-school nickname Crondo, and blew glass in the dirt of a backyard with a popup tent and a pitbull. A shop job in Logan Heights put him closer to the work. The 619 stayed in the name.
His first Champs trade show opened the map. Over the next decade he showed up for flame-offs, production seasons, and derbies — always learning, always making.
He’s been going to barter faire since 2008 — the PNW circuit, Okanogan Family Faire included. Showing up with work, not a booth pitch. The road is part of the shop.
Home garage shop in Pullman, Washington. Direct through Instagram and the fairs. Heady functional art, one piece at a time.
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