My Story:
I have been making pictures of mountains and trees for as long as I can remember. My childhood included lots of outdoor play, museums, and creative pursuits. First fabric, then leather, a brief teaching career, then glass. After 3 decades of owning Off the Wall Craft Gallery in Allentown, NJ, I came to Vermont to enjoy a lifestyle of glass art mixed with 4 seasons of recreation in the mountains and woods, food for my soul. I am grateful for my physical abilities to enjoy a lifestyle where I work hard and play hard.
Blog:
To read more about my life and stories click “Life as a Glass Artist”.
Artist Statement:
Color and light are frequent visitors to my brain, as I contemplate translating what I see and feel into stained glass. I am constantly considering what I might do to capture the feeling and details of the exquisite scenery all around me. Mountains have had a way of sneaking into my art for as long as I can remember. Trees have a grounding comforting feeling as well. Industrial forms are the inspiration for my abstract work – controlled, flowing and orderly. My playful side desires to express itself through fantasy and spirit faces in both subtle and obvious ways.
Techniques:
Panels are constructed with the copper foil technique and zinc framing. The solder is darkened with a patina and then polished. The soldered lines have a relatively smooth texture and flow.
Using glass as an art media presents special challenges. I am self taught, and in the years after closing the gallery I have learned many new techniques which I combine. The most exciting involve the use of a kiln to permanently fuse glass with additional color or to paint with hand mixed vitreous powdered paint.
Fusing allows a style of coloring with bold areas of cut glass or a feeling of impressionism or pointillism using bits of smashed glass known as “frit”. It is fresh and bold or delicate without the use of outlines. An open flame allows more detailing by stretching and bending glass in a molten state, then it is all melted into the art. This technique is used in my jewelry, coasters, and panel accents.
Painting glass in the ancient traditional way is a freeing experience. After years of designing with hard brittle material, pushing the brush around allows a feeling of freedom and spontaneity, like watercolors. But unique to glass painting is the opportunity to also remove vitreous paint by scratching it away or pushing it around with rubber nibs and my own fabricated tools. Painting is done over a light box. It is then fired to 1250 degrees.