Hmmm what to post here. As far as my own work goes I am an artist of extremes maybe? Either really huge, or really small. I prefer to push materials or ideas.... if someone tells me "I dont think you can do that with glass" (or anything), "I say why not?" And find a way (or explode glass trying....) I thrive on the intensity of the process. I sort of teach that way too. So here are a few examples of my work... some of which you may have seen other places....
I love working with fire. I have a studio in my basement and all my work is done in a torch. For awhile I was just doing intricate glass beads but I soon realized I wanted to create mini environments. Since I could not work with a glory hole and other traditional equipment, I invented my own way of creating the orbs I wanted. Many of them as large as 3 inches across.
When I am not doing hot glass, I also love stained glass. I taught myself that by teaching my middle school kids how and I now do that class every so often.
I also work with Charcoal and those are quite large. They also take a long time and often I will have a work in progressup to a year. (Im busy and my kids distract me too..... sigh). In my spare time (HA!) I do set design for the local community theater. These sets are from the past two winter shows, Annie (thats my other daughter as Annie in Blue) and Suessical. Admittedly, my daughter is usually in the show so I am just being a dutiful parent.... but I love the challenge of it.
This mosiac to the left is on my classroom wall. It was a group project I did one year with grades 3-8. The larger piece to the top right here is actually my daughter Sage when she was in eighth grade working on a portrait piece. The one under hers is also an eighth grader. 
The wild portrait below was completed by a fourth grader when we were working with personal narratives and expressive use of color and oil pastel.The large charcoal drawings were done by 6-8th graders and most of them are 24 x 26.
Amy! Your glass work is incredible!! I am so intrigued by your nature-esque orbs! Out of curiosity how did you get into glasswork? I know you said you taught yourself how to create stained glass pieces, but i can't imagine that it is similar to glass beading. Lovely work!
ReplyDeleteThe torch work started about 12 years ago one week before I moved to Traverse City. I was approached by a Baltimore glass artist who was looking for an apprentice. I decided to give it a shot and was immediately in love. Sadly, 4 days into it we moved (it was a sudden move). But the big had bitten so I built my own little studio in my basement and continued to self teach. A couple years later I took a workshop with Loren stump, and a year after that met Paul Stankard at a glass convention and he became my mentor for a little while.. I used to do the rt fair thing but in 2006 or so, the economy was starting to go down hill so I stopped doing the fairs and now play now and again when I have time. The orbs take hours and hours so I havn't made one of them for a bit. :( do you melt glass?
ReplyDeleteYou're a great artist teacher! I am very impressed and so love your works!
ReplyDeleteI like that you push materials and ideas, I am just starting to push myself beyond the computer, beyond the sketch book and beyond the standard size format and do some large scale printing of my photos and collage. I love large yet have no space to display too many yet.
ReplyDeleteThanks Jooyoung and Maria :)
DeleteMaria.... go big! I dont always have places to display things (almost never... LOLOL) but I just go for it. Ya never know what space might come your way down the road! :)
very cool stuff!
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