Initially trained as an engineer, John Pirker began working with glass in the mid-1990s. In 1999, he graduated from the Crafts and Design Program at Sheridan College and was the Resident Glass Artist at the Living Arts Centre in Mississauga, Ontario . Pirker states that the "immediacy of working with material and the concrete nature of the resulting work" drew him to glass, and that this medium has "allowed him to continuously explore the diversity of colour, form and technique." Pirker's wide range of simple, elegant and unique forms, "pinched" bowls and plates have been featured in several exhibitions and art shows; even former U. S. President Bill Clinton has purchased some of his pieces.