I have been doing Art Glass Designs since 2002. Beginning as a hobby and watching other respected artists, I began by taking a Stained Glass class at the Stained Glass Emporium, in Skokie Illinois. It was a wonderful experience and the women who own the shop and work there made the learning process fun. As I had my own ideas about what types of designs I wanted to make, I immediately moved from pre-made patterns to designs of my own. I enjoyed the freedom of being able to take a concept, analyzing the details, sometimes through a painstaking process, and then watching it materialize in glass.
In order to learn the process of Warm Glass or Kiln fired glass, I simply read. Everything I could find on the subject. I searched websites, reviewed glass bulletin boards and devoured books about the chemistry of glass. I then jumped in, bought a kiln and experimented. The challenge in learning the art of fusing glass is in accepting that glass has properties that must be respected. If you don’t follow the rules, you will open your kiln to disaster. Learning the chemistry of glass and keeping very careful logs and notes is the key to successful firings.
I enjoy combining the different glass design making processes. A finished piece that incorporates, copper foiled, fused and sandblasted glass can be incredibly beautiful. It is sometimes considered “breaking the rules” to combine these techniques, but I believe that true art comes from the experience of creating it, not in following the rules.
My formal training is in the area of psychology. I have worked in this field largely because of my fascination with the intensity of human behavior. I feel that observing behavior, sometimes in its most primitive forms, has helped me to develop patience in understanding the creative process of glass. Applying the primal concepts of behavior to concepts of creativity and art with glass is an incredibly enjoyable journey.
I particularly like the idea of collaborating with clients on creating their vision for a piece. Very often, people have a concept of what they are looking for, and articulating that into a finished project is very rewarding. Whether it’s a piece that ads privacy to a room, beauty to a wall or window, or a free standing piece that celebrates a life event, glass is the material that has stood the test of time and exists to provide joy for it’s admirers.
