Glass expresses my emotions and visual responses to life. Like many artists, I began by drawing; my mediums were charcoal and pastel. However, I soon found myself more interested in three- dimensional forms, which seemed to express my feelings more accurately than flat images. I found myself responding to my everyday emotions with colors, shapes, and lines. During my years of studying at the Cleveland Institute of Art, I began to thrive in three-dimensional expression—with clay, wood, and stone. When I turned to working with glass, I discovered my passions in the process, and because glass is so physically demanding and tactile, it is also transformative. I am interested in creating glass that embraces and transcends the ordinary.
In the creating of glass, I enjoy striving to overcome obstacles inherent in the physical processes of firing and cooling raw materials. These transformative changes bring me ever closer to my primal emotions.
Currently, I have been trying to make pieces that connect me to the natural world. For me, nature is a neo-religious force that provides inspiration and creates awe and wonder. The natural world is my cathedral and, I believe, calls all of us to our higher selves. Moreover, nature provides many truths, both historical and eternal. It is also important to me that I continue to find ways to express the natural world with glass.
