My glass
work has an organic and simplistic design,
emphasized by color and shape.
I strive
for similarities to exist between my glass and the beauty within the
natural
world.
I wish for my
glass to recall
memories of a setting sun in a brilliant pink hue, the tumultuous night
sky
right before a storm or the waves swirling and crashing onto the
beach.
I
hope my customers will interpret their own
personal memories to find a piece of glass that speaks to them on a
personal
and meaningful level.
Utilizing
a glass technique called fusing;
I can create a beautiful array of glass art. Fusing
involves cutting compatible glass into
various shapes and
arranging it in stacked layers which are then fired in a special kiln
that
reaches temperatures of 1500 degrees. During
the firing process the glass undergoes a slow
transformation from
a solid to a soft liquid.
As the
temperature in the kiln climbs, the layers of glass slowly start to
melt
together to form one single layer and the edges soften and round out.
When the
glass is finished, the kiln is turned off and I wait, very patiently,
for it to
slowly cool, or “kiln-anneal”; this adds strength
and
durability to the glass.
The glass is then
removed from the kiln, cleaned
and the new glass gems, or “cabochons”, can now be
used to
make a variety of
glass jewelry and home décor pieces.
To
create my line of slumped glass plates,
I first fuse a tile using the process described above. After
the tile has cooled completely, it is
re-loaded into the kiln and arranged over a ceramic mold coated with
kiln wash
(to aid in release).
The kiln is then
re-fired to a temperature of 1250 degrees and the glass gently slumps,
taking
the shape of the mold, resulting in a variety of glass plates and
bowls.
A
variety of materials can be used to add
color and shine to my work.
One of the
most popular materials is a special type of glass called
dichroic.
Dichroic
glass is coated with a special
multi-chromium plating which results in a color-shift when light
interacts with
it.
This glass comes
in a variety of
color-shifts in both a solid form and patterned design. When
light dances across it, it sparkles and
shines; it is synonymous with fused
glass: it provides a
“wow” factor. I
also use a
special kind of dichroic decal
material called Dicro Slide.
This
material can be cut with scissors to create any design you can
imagine.
The
material is then applied using
a basic
decal application and fired onto or into the glass. The
resulting piece features the cut-out
design and the color-shift properties of dichroic glass.
My newest
collection of work is created
using a fusible photo paper.
With this
material, I can fire any photograph or image onto the glass. Using
this unique fusible paper and a special
laser jet printer, I am able to create custom decals which are then
applied to
the glass before firing using a basic decal application process. The
image fires to a sepia tone and is
permanent.
I use this
material to create
custom jewelry
pieces and wish plates with the customer’s own photographs.
I am a
proud graduate of Kent State University's glass program. I
create
each piece of my one-of-a-kind glass in my home studio in Cleveland,
Ohio. My work is constantly evolving as I crave new knowledge
and
exploration in glass. I love sharing my talents through
teaching
classes and introducing others to the amazing medium of glass.
I
currently teach classes at a variety of northeast Ohio art centers and
galleries.
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