Artist Statement:

I’ve always been fascinated by the essential idea of glass, the change from liquid to solid. And the freedom of the artist, in the middle of that flow, to work her influence on the final form, to pull an abstract vision into something of tangible beauty, is fabulous. Since I also love being on the water — ocean, river, lake, mud puddle — it amuses me to create pieces that hark back that liquid: stable, but still full of motion. And so my work is alive with bubbles and waves, sea foam and movement. And recently, my repertoire — and palette — have expanded to include the changeable sky of sunset above the water. When I took my first glassblowing class, my questions were simple: How? Why? What makes me think I can do this? I’ve figured out some of the ‘hows’ and ‘whys’ and have moved on to what has become my new favorite question: What if? The answers to that question can be endlessly appealing. With each new piece, I get to share and celebrate that answer. I have no formal training in glassblowing. I started taking classes at Art of Fire, a fantastic studio in Maryland, about an hour from my home in Virginia, in 2010. The talented artists there have been wonderful about sharing their knowledge, and have helped me build my skills to the point glassblowing is no longer an avocation, but a second career. My ‘other’ career, as first a newspaper designer and then copy editor, feeds my love of language. It also inspires the playful titles of my work. Everyone loves a good pun, and few do them better than headline writers. I try to make my colleagues proud.

 

I am a glass artist from Virginia.
Seven years ago, I walked into a glass studio near my home and said, “Teach me.” I expected to be one of those people who is forever giving friends and family the adult version of those clay pencil cups we all made for our parents when we were in kindergarten. Somewhat to my surprise, I’m good at this glassblowing stuff. I find it fascinating and freeing, a great way to express all of the ideas floating (no pun intended) in my head and to answer my favorite question: What if … ? I started selling my work two years ago at the One of a Kind Show in Chicago and the American Craft Council Show in Baltimore. I now have pieces in a number of private collections in the Chicago and Washington/ Baltimore areas as well as Sydney, London, Dos Palmas, Costa Rica, Clearwater, Florida, Denver, Colorado, and Nashville, Tennessee. It also is featured at The Current Iowa Autograph, an art-centric boutique hotel in Davenport, Iowa.