Sandy Hartke grew up in Los Angeles, California and spent most of his time with his family going to museums and art galleries. He has always had a fascination with gemstones in the vaults of the Los Angeles Museum of Natural History because of their delicate presentation. When he was in high school, he had a weekend apprenticeship in a San Diego glassblowing studio, where he was exposed to glass in hands on lessons. He later attended college at the Appalachian Center for Craft at Tennessee Technological University, where he learned how to blow glass, the fundamentals of cold glass manipulation, and studio maintenance. He then moved to Nelsonville, Ohio where he earned his Associate of Business Degree with a concentration in glassblowing from Hocking Community College. He then transferred to Bowling Green State University where he earned his Bachelors of Fine Arts Degree. He is glass worker with well-rounded skills in hot glassblowing, his work excels in the manipulation of cold glass, as he cuts, grinds and polishes his art with due diligence.