2001 - honey, just think of all the money i'll save  Ok, I don't think he was that gullible, but I convinced my husband that investing in a deep octagonal kiln to be able to make fixtures for the house we were building was a good idea.  I have made many wall sconces, switch-plates and sculptural items for our home, and now I also create custom items for others.  My latest craze is color bars, casting and cold-work.  I am a member of the Glass Art Society, and enjoy interacting with the truly amazing artists of that organisation. 

I love working with glass and the variety of techniques you can combine to create art when using a kiln or torch. It can be quite technical, and a good understanding of the scientific method is necessary to learn and improve your skills.  Some might find that it affects their spontaneity, but I find it to be the right blend of creativity and challenge.

1970's - 80's - try everything I have my mother to thank for letting me take any art class my heart desired.  Oil painting, acrylic's, colored pencil, tole, etc.  The highlight came when I won an art contest for a water color painting I created in high school and won a scholarship which I used to attend a summer session at what was known as The Idyllwild School of Music and the Arts (ISOMATA) at the time.  Painting under the pines was wonderful, but I also had a pull to make cheese, and went off to college studying dairy science instead of art.

1993 - Anything to avoid writing my dissertation This was the year I took my first stained glass class in Baton Rouge, LA and developed a friendship with the instructor. I started with leaded glass, then developed skills in copper foil.  I volunteered time at the shop and was able to bank volunteer time for time on her sand-blaster sand-carving beveled glass on her. I continued working with stained glass until 2002 when I bought my kiln.  I have not picked up pattern shears or worked with stained glass since then!

​​Alta Artglass

My Biography