Why I work in Handmade Glass

Making my own glass is a something that defines my work and sets me apart from other jewelers. It is not something that I set out to do, it evolved over time.

I started out buying stones like everyone else. Then it became clear to me that something was missing for me creatively. I am the daughter of an abstract painter and buying stones and setting them felt like framing someone else’s paintings. I wanted to make the painting too!

I was that kid in art class who could happily have just mixed colors all day. Making color combinations with the endless pallet of glass colors and effects to work with is deeply satisfying and feeds my soul in a way that selecting stones just was never going to do. Creating the shapes myself with the grinder allows me to express myself much more completely. I’m like a baker who needs to grow their own wheat in order to get all the joy out of making a cake.

Does everyone get it? No. Would it be easier and less work to buy a stone? For sure. Natural stone is gorgeous and I love them.  But I am who I am, and the pieces I have in my head can only be created if I start with raw materials and make it all from scratch. It is worth it to me, because I make things from a deep need to create and please myself first.

I’m still that little girl, mixing colors. It’s everything to me. Is there an area in your life where you do more than you have to do?

This piece started out as about 10 different colors of powdered glass. I mixed the colors and laid them down in a mold that I made, then kiln fired them, ground the shape with a grinder, and fired the glass again. That is all before any metal work happened.