After graduating from high school in his hometown of Bakersfield, California, Dave Smallhouse served in Vietnam. Upon his return he studied in San Diego before coming to Chico State to earn his Bachelors of Arts degree in Ancient & Classical History. In 1980 he joined Orient & Flume and immediately acquired a passion for glassblowing that has driven him to mastery.

Among his many accomplishments in the field he was personally requested to create the inaugural mace for the 1994 incoming president of Chico State University, Manuel Esteban, himself a former glassblower.

Today he works closely with his wife and children in their own studio and his enthusiasm for glassblowing has only grown.