Pâte de Verre Glass Art

Artist Statement

I have been working and creating with glass for more than 30 years, starting with stained glass, then shifting to fused glass.  I now make kiln-fired vessels using a glass casJaye in Barcelonating technique called pate de verre.  The main thread that links all my work is the visual and physical perception of  texture.  My mother once pointed out to me, as we exited a store, that she and I ‘saw‘ things by touching them.  I now use tactile processes and materials like molding clay, plaster, glass and felted wool to create pieces that have multiple surfaces and textures.  Pate de verre, and the inclusions that it allows, also give me the opportunity to play with color in an open-ended way.  Each piece I make is an improvisation.  As I touch the product of the last step, the piece tells me what the next step will be, so I never really know what the finished piece will look like.  I only know that I want each piece to call out to be touched.