A retrospective of the works of celebrated Benicia glass artist Micheal Nourot will open Thursday in the vault of Nourot Glass Studio.

Nourot, who passed away in May at 66, was known for a range of glass techniques, including cased glass, slumped glass, stained glass, enameled glass, murrini — colored patterns or images made in long rods of glass that are revealed when cut in cross-sections — and sandblasting.

The show will feature samples of Nourot’s work spanning 40 years, including some of his student work from Seattle’s Pilchuck Glass School.

Other pieces are so early that they do not bear Nourot’s signature,.

Still others represent different phases of Nourot’s career over the years, said Dorothy Reading, Nourot gallery manager, while some show his interest in the outdoors, like the Color Pond series and the Fall River series.

While some of the works are available for purchase, many — like a nine-piece blue-glass punch set that Nourot made for his mother — are not, Reading said.

A self-portrait of Nourot’s head, and a clear, black-and-white biplane also are not for sale, she said: “The head stays here.”

The event is billed as a look into the gallery’s vault, which was built in the 1950s by the Yuba Manufacturing Company and was said to be able to withstand a 50-megaton bomb. The vault was opened in 1987 when the gallery moved into its current location, and converted into a special “gallery within the gallery.”

It has been used since then to house the studio’s “retirement” collection. But the shelves were cleared to showcase the pieces selected for this retrospective exhibit.

Reading, who has worked at the gallery since 1998, remembered Nourot as “a terrific guy.”

“Then he retired like three years ago, and then I had to get used to Nick (Nourot, Micheal’s son) as my boss. Nick is younger than my youngest daughter, he’s working out OK though,” she said with a laugh.

If You Go
The Micheal Nourot retrospective show opens Thursday at Nourot Glass Studio, 675 East H St. There will be a formal opening reception 3-5 p.m. July 15. Regular gallery hours are Monday to Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Sundays noon to 5 p.m.