My fascination with glass began at age five when I visited a glass factory in West Virginia. I never forgot the image of the glowing, molten mass being formed by an expert craftsman. After I successfully worked with leather and clay, I finally had the opportunity to learn to blow glass at a studio in Ybor City, Florida in 1987. I’ve studied the creation of larger forms with Fred Kahl and John Brekke, two instructors and artists working at the New York Experimental Glass Workshop.
I now work out of my own studio in Florida. Currently, my work depicts emotions relating to family, personal growth and the spiritual connections between each of us as souls. The processes I use in my one-of-a-kind and series works enable imagery inside, on the surface – and in some cases both – to juxtapose combined images to articulate the message or idea. The focus is centered around the internal graal technique and overlay techniques, incorporating hand cutting, photoresist and computer graphics. To finish these works, acid etching, fire polishing and a six-stage grinding and polishing technique are used. Learning these techniques and further experimentation with the medium has allowed me more freedom of expression, to better draw the viewer into what I envision and hopefully to touch similar emotions.
