Relationship Dolls Made of Glass . . .

Kiln Glass Art

I don’t talk much online about my art glass, but I am celebrating 10 years as a kiln glass artist, and it’s probably time to talk about it a little.

This lovely couple is a relatively large piece of wall art. Each figure measures 14” in height and is 3” wide. They are created with cut pieces of glass that are melted to a very high temperatures so they fuse into a single piece. I use powdered glass enamel to make the faces. The enamel is kiln fired on so it is now part of the glass. The very shiny breastplate is dichroic glass which is treated with a super sparkly finish. The arms and earrings are chain made of crystal beads, and the hands are magnetic.

If the couple is feeling sweet on each other, they can hold hands.

I made these for the gallery and they sold faster than I could keep up. I haven’t made any since but I recently got the bug again. People buy them as anniversary gifts, or wedding gifts, or gifts for themselves as a reminder of their love. ($250 and up).

I make them in all kinds of colors and all kinds of couples (girl+boy, girl+girl, boy+boy). I even made a family with two small children.

I am thinking of putting them in my online shop for special order for the holidays. Good idea?

Now, about how I became a glass artist . . .

I have always been a watercolorist and that means working with and loving transparent layers of color. When I first encountered “fused glass”, I was so intrigued, but I didn’t really do anything about it.

Then wandering through the Galisteo, NM studio tour back in 2013, I ran into the most incredible glass artist ever. She was making shadow box frames filled with layered sheets of what I took to be handmade paper - but the sheets were powdered glass!! By firing it at a very low temperatures, she was making it hold together in delicate sheets. I went nuts. She told me all about it, and added that we happen to have one of only four Bullseye Glass Resource Centers in the country (there are now five). I was there in a flash, took a series of classes, and bought a small kiln a couple weeks later.

I was hooked and I still am. I bought a very big standing height kiln a couple years after that, and filled my gallery with glass, and became better known as a glass artist than a watercolor painter.

After we didn’t renew our gallery lease, and I discovered I was probably retired, I had the most trouble getting motivated to make glass. It’s more difficult to store than paintings on paper!

I did put some of my work in a local gallery and it is doing quite well. So I am slowly getting active again - more with the attitude of doing things for the sake of beauty and experiment than for the marketplace.

I ran into Judy (my original glass inspiration) at the local grocery store yesterday and we chatted about our work. She is going gangbusters because she is devoted to her art for its own sake (though it sells for $40,000+).

I am still learning about art for its own sake. She assured me that all will become clear in its own time. I believe her.

I will show you some pieces now and then.