Bliss Kolb, born and raised in Seattle, has been creating cabinetry, furniture; sets, set pieces and props for theatre and film; delicate containers, and other wonderful things for over 30 years. In the mid-1970's, he attended The Evergreen State College and the University of Washington, pursuing studies in art, art history, fine woodwork, musical instrument building and clock-making.
In the early 80's he moved to San Francisco, where initially he designed and built exhibits for the famed science museum, The Exploratorium. Dividing his time between the practical and the fanciful, Bliss continued to design, build and install cabinetry for homeowners and contractors, while becoming active in the "New Vaudeville" movement, as a creator, designer and performer of highly theatrical comedy and magic. Bliss's efforts in furniture and lighting design gained recognition in publication, exhibition and awards as he continued to successfully perform his vaudeville creations along the West Coast and throughout Canada. His hit show, Sleep Tight, incorporating fanciful design, comedy, magic and video, brought Bliss back to Seattle in the early 90's where he has made his home.
Along with ongoing design and fabrication of fine woodwork, cabinetry and furniture for architects, contractors, and homeowners, Bliss has designed stage sets locally for a number of Seattle theaters, winning praise from critics and audiences, as well as creating a touring set and specialty mechanisms for the Flying Karamazov Brothers. The Yellow Kid, an original multimedia piece co-created with Annex Theater, remains one of the best-remembered theater events in recent Seattle history for its innovation and vivid design. Bliss has also produced short videos which have appeared in Berlin, Los Angeles and Seattle. In 2003 he completed major construction on his own house in West Seattle (featured here in Pacific Northwest Magazine) and is currently pursuing a longtime interest building Automata, mechanical creatures such as wooden birds that move and sing.