Meet Gisellery

Meet Gisellery
You can visit her shop here:
http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5165797

How many years have you been an artist?

I first started making things when my sons were young (in the 80s). I made them a 3 1/2 foot high Santa with a red velvet suit. I also made miniture framed paintings for the period dolls houses that my father-in-law made. A few years ago I started making semi-precious jewellery, which I still do when time allows.

How many years have you worked with glass?

I've only worked with glass for 3 years. Initially I tried lampworking, but the rest of my family did not take kindly to all the doors and windows being open in the winter due to the fumes from the torch. As I had already bought a kiln, a Paragon SC2, I decided to try fusing instead which soon became an obsession.

What triggers ideas for new projects?

People tell me that I have an eye for colour, so I suppose I think about colours first and then think of designing the piece to fit in with that. I seem to spend more time thinking than actually doing. Suddenly something quite random can trigger an idea even though the final result may be completely different to the inital spark. But yes, first I think of the colour I'd like to work with.

What percentage of the day do you think about or work on your art?

I have a day job as well, although due to my creations, I've been lucky enough to have been able to reduce my hours. I'm usually home by 2:00 pm, so I spend a large part of each day thinking about what I want to make next. I do tend to go off at tangents though, and want ot start new projects before completing whatever I'm already working on.

Do you create daily?

I make something most days - I can't just sit and do nothing. I've just bought another kiln, a Paragon Fusion 7, so now also make little dishes as well as pendants.

Do you feel that choosing the artist’s life has been a sacrifice?

Have you given up certain luxuries?

My other half has some health problems, so we rarely go out. I wanted something that I could do from home that would keep me occupied so that I wouldn't miss not socialising much. So working with glass has not been a sacrifice at all. My husband does often comment though that I'm "not there" because I'm creating things in my head. I suppose I've given up exercise and eating healthily. I used to work out every day, but now glass comes first. It's often 8:00 pm and I haven't started dinner, so grab chocolate or cake!! - No sacrifice there then.

Describe your studio.

My studio is mainly our conservatory, with windows on three sides which was intended to be a lovely light dining room. I prepare the glass there, but the kiln is in the spare room. I can create chaos in there within 5 minutes - even in the day job I have to have two desks for my clutter. I'm a sagitarrian rooster, so it's not my fault, I just can't help it.

Tell me something about you:

I'm 51, 5 feet tall. I've been married for 33 years to David but prefer to use my maiden name, it's who I am after all. We have 2 sons, Sean is 28 and Alex is 26 - both still at home. We also have a white German Shepherd called Meg and a stray cat called Kitty the cat. Sometimes I seem aloof when I first meet someone, but only while I'm sizing them up. I have a wicked and somewhat warped sense of humour and tend to show my emotions on my face. I'll often say the most outrageous things to make people laugh, but then life's too short to be miserable.

Meet Mouchette

Meet Mouchette

You can visit her store here:

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5584336

How many years have you been an artist?
I knew I wanted to be an artist by the first grade. I originally thought I'd be a book illustrator, but eventually found out there were a zillion more talented illustrators than I, and I had way more natural talent with glass.

How many years have you worked with glass?
I started working in glass about 22 years ago. Professionally about 20 years ago.

What triggers ideas for new projects?
I am often really motivated by the materials I work with. I'll find some beautiful piece of glass or a wonderful vintage ornament and start designing around it.

When do ideas come to you? How often?
My ideas seem to come sporadically. I tend to have creative burst for a month or two then a lag time.

What percentage of the day do you think about or work on your art?
I'm working on art at least a little bit every day. Sometimes producing stock, sometimes restoring old windows, and sometimes I'll put aside blocks of time to create new work. I feel a bit lazy sometimes too, but but when I do get down to creating- I don't stop till it's done and a lot of pieces will get made.

Do you create daily?
If I'm not out rock climbing or dealing with my internet shops, I'm usually in the studio. I don't create daily, but I do tend to do a lot of prep work for when I am going to be working. I'll pre-cut glass, pre-make tons of curled wire hangers, etc. Pre-pick the glass sheets for a particular art-piece for when I'm ready to start it etc.

How important is it for you to create art?
It is immensely important for me to fill my life with beauty. I'll never stop being an artist, but I find as I get older, I need to balance it out with other hobbies that are not art related. It's easy to get burned out and it actually really helps my creative process if I break it up with other activities.

Do you feel that choosing the artist’s life has been a sacrifice?
Have you given up certain luxuries?
I have been immensely lucky in my chosen profession. I have actually been able to make a moderately good living at it. I had almost 18 years of full-time work making windows and teaching classes up until the recent recession. I actually own my house. The main luxury I miss is having time and money for more traveling.

Describe your studio:
For the last 12 years I have worked out of corner of the retail store I managed. As of this year I got laid off and I've finally converted my garage into a full blown stained glass studio. Glass storage shelves. Sink, tables, etc. I still have to run my kiln at the old studio. The 1945 electrical in my house can't handle a kiln without constantly blowing fuses, but my old boss is cool with it.

Tell me something about you:
About me? Well... other than being a glass artist, I mentioned I'm a rock climber. My boyfriend and I are quite serious about it and climb several times a week. My boyfriend describes me as "A forward-thinking Renaissance woman". (when I'm not being "scatterer-brained"). I have a big sense of humor and can be irreverent at times.

Meet Natasha Of ArtsDesireGlass

Meet Natasha Of ArtsDesireGlass
You can visit her shop here:
http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5856708


How many years have you been an artist?
It's hard to say. I've been making and selling fused glass jewelry for about a year now. But I was an art major in college and worked in painting, drawing and glass casting and blowing. Even in grade school and high school I took private art lessons and loaded up on the art offerings at school. I went to the Kentucky Governor's School for the Arts - an auditioned summer program for high school artists of all kinds - and I think I knew then that I would always have art in my life.

How many years have you worked with glass?
Since 1998. I was lucky enough to go to Centre College in Danville, KY where Stephen Rolfe Powell is a professor. He's a world-renowned glassblower and many of the students in the art program switch their concentration - in my case painting and drawing - to glass. It's hard to resist the pull when you've got someone so inspiring to work with. Centre also has great abroad programs and I got to visit Murano, Italy while I was living in France for a semester in 1997. After that, I knew I had to try glass when I came home.

What triggers ideas for new projects?
A lot of times my ideas are triggered by thinking about the artistic process - like layering colors in a painting, elements of composition, or looking at the process of artist I admire.

When do ideas come to you? How often?
About once a month I have one of those 'A-Ha!' moments when I think "Ooooh, I've got to try this". Then I usually let it roll around in my mind for a week or so while I gather the right materials.

What percentage of the day do you think about or work on your art?
Usually it's probably about 1/4 to 1/2 depending on other household chores. Since I'm self employed I can keep whatever hours I like and my husband works full time so I try and keep things running smoothly around the house. But lately the house is a mess because I've been spending my whole day preparing for spring and summer shows! I finally went to the grocery store yesterday since we had nothing to eat or drink!

Do you create daily?
I try to, but some days get absorbed with paperwork and promotion

How important is it for you to create art?
Even when I'm not actively 'arting' I'm always looking for ways to be creative. There's an art to everything, you just have to find it. I guess that's my roundabout way of saying that creating art is very important to me - even if you're not making artwork. Did that make any sense? :)

Do you feel that choosing the artist’s life has been a sacrifice?
Have you given up certain luxuries?
No matter what career path you choose, there are sacrifices involved. When I sold furniture I gave up weekends and when I when I was a membership director there was a lot of travel. I love being around other people and as an artist that is the biggest sacrifice for me. Studio time can be lonely and I'm always happy when it's show time and I can talk to people face-to-face. However, I have found wonderful and supportive friends here in the CGGE who keep me entertained when I'm feeling like a one woman sweat shop.

Describe your studio.
My studio is a spare bedroom which contains my work table where I cut glass, another table for paperwork, and a computer desk with my beloved Mac. The other half of the studio is in the kitchen where I've got a rolling cart with my kiln and a grinder that I put on the counter top to grind. I also take all of my photos by the sliding glass door in the kitchen. I try to keep it pretty minimal since we don't have a very large apartment.

Tell me something about you:
Oh gosh, I never know what to say with these kinds of questions. How about this? In my family my name is 'normal'. My Granny is Ruthalea, Great Grandmother was Leora, she was married to Rufus and my Great Aunts and Uncles were Commodore, Red, Lawrence, Cordia, Rithie and Leota. Genealogy is my hobby and I love learning more about these people and the lives they lived.

Meet Sherri of Intuibead

Meet Sherri of Intuibead

You can visit her shop here:

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5219395

How many years have you been an artist?
I have actually been an artist all of my life: sporadically. I started out drawing horses at the age of 6 and wore out a ton of pencils and paper doing so. I dreamed of being an artist when I grew up so when the Art Linklater Art Talent Test was advertised on TV, I sent away for it. However my parents said that my drawings were not good enough for the Talent Test so I let that idea rest. Years later I discovered that my actual artistic medium is glass and have followed my heart.

How many years have you worked with glass?
I took a 5-day intensive lampworking class in 2005 at a nearby college so that would make my years of glass as being 4 years part time. Before the intensive class I took a couple of beginner classes to see what this lampworking thing was all about and to see if I liked it. The answer was enough of a yes to take an intensive class to see if lampworking was something that I wanted to sink my teeth into. Obviously it was and it is.

What triggers ideas for new projects?
It's hard to say what triggers my creative ideas as I have ideas come to me as ideas, some come in a "I want to try that" and the best ones come in the form of a challenge either issued by someone or by a piece telling me to remake it. The woodworking catalogs also give me ideas as well. Of course the glass itself "talks to me".

When do ideas come to you? How often?
Ideas come to me when they come to me. Specific times are when I get my woodworking catalogs (I don't woodwork, by the way). New woodturning projects get my spidey senses tingling. When I am in the "zone" while torching, ideas show up and when they do, I act on them. I always say that the glass has a way of speaking to me and letting me know what it wants to be made up as.My work time goes in ebbs and flows right now vs a portion each day. It's not an ideal setup for me right now and I'm in motion to balance that out. Even when I am not glass working, I am still listening for the small still voice to whisper something to me.

What percentage of the day do you think about or work on your art?
When I am in glass work mode I usually spend a few hours at a time focused on what I am doing.I create pretty much every day and what I am creating may not have anything to do with glass. I'm also an avid knitter, especially socks and I also create in the kitchen as well. I don't fight where my creative urge travels to.I think that it's extremely important to create, not only me but everyone. Left-brain dominant people also need the creative right brain in action to allow for a more balanced lifestyle. It's much easier to deal with life's issues when the creative side of the brain is also very active.

Do you feel that choosing the artist’s life has been a sacrifice?
Have you given up certain luxuries?
When I create, I am gifting myself with taking care of me and that idea alone is paramount.What has actually been sacrificed in my life thus far is my artist's life. I have been working way too many hours and spending way too much time and energy at a job. Now that I am fully aware of that aspect I have currently implemented a change process that will allow me to live the life of an artist without having to give up the "luxuries". I don't buy into the "starving artist" concept as there are options, but one has to be open to receiving and acting upon the options.

Describe your studio.
I actually have 2 rooms of my house that are studios. One of the room is my photography/assembly studio and the other room is my glass/torch studio. My photography/assembly studio is well let with natural light and also houses my office as well as a kitchen table that boasts of bead store mayhem (yes I do know where everything is). When I am in assembly mode I want to see all of my options as I don't want to miss out on an idea. Of course my slinky is readily available for thought diversion. Now for my glass studio. I need to be surrounded by nature when I work so on the desert orange walls I have my owl,3 fish, and a bird clock that sounds bird calls on the hour. My torch table is made of grey marble tile and my husband built a fumehood with plexiglass walls so that I can look out the large windows into the pasture when I am torching. That way I can watch the dogs, birds, horses, cattle, and clouds. In front of the window is a live 6-foot tall cactus. Besides tools and glass rods on my torch table, I also have a Shire horse and rooster and chicken figurines to gaze at. Now for my glass: all of my glass is organized into their specific types on a black tile coffee table and a steel storage rack. The specific type organization is very important because the different glass types (COE's) cannot be mixed. To house all gazillion colors of glass rods that I have, I use glass vases from the thrift store. I think that my rods are pretty and I want to see them especially when one calls me to work with it. I also have a whiteboard in my studio to write down ideas, order and items that I need to purchase.

Tell me something about you.
Something about me: I'm multi-faceted and I enjoy the simple life. I thrive on challenges and am always looking for ways to improve myself. I'm big on personal development, especially Bob Proctor. When am I most comfortable? Wearing my jeans and cowboy boots.

Meet Debbie of grapeislandglass

Meet Debbie of grapeislandglass

You can visit her shop here:

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5079983

How many years have you been an artist?
I’ve only just become comfortable calling myself a Glass Artist.

How many years have you worked with glass?
About 4 years.What triggers ideas for new projects?
I’m not sure! Ideas just pop into my head. I’ve taken to trying to always have paper with me so I can write them down.

When do ideas come to you? How often?
Anytime, anywhere.

What percentage of the day do you think about or work on your art?
Its there all the time.

How important is it for you to create art?
It keeps me sane, I think!

Do you feel that choosing the artist’s life has been a sacrifice?

Have you given up certain luxuries?
Creating with glass has been a blessing for me. No sacrifices, no loss of luxuries – just don’t touch the chocolate.

Describe your studio.
Like my art, my studio is ever evolving. Or is that ever growing? J My studio is akin to lava, it keeps flowing outward. Right now its in our basement but I’ve been seriously eyeing the barn.

Tell me something about you.
I started with glass because I fell in love with a fused glass coaster. Right around that time my therapist was urging me to find a creative outlet for my grief. So I found a glass studio nearby, The Glass Source, and a fabulous, true Glass Artist, Michael Skrtic, who was happy to teach me. I still try to get to his studio every time I’m in Connecticut.
I live on a small lake in Maine with a great guy who spoils and indulges me. We have 2 dogs, 3 cats, 4 children, 1 son-in-law, and 2 daughters-in-law between us. Life is good!

Meet Marcia of Sierra Creations

Meet Marcia of Sierra Creations

You can visit her shop here:

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5669767

How many years have you been an artist?

I started building my own designs 15 years ago.

How many years have you worked with glass?

34 years.

What triggers ideas for new projects?

Magazines and books, ideas from friends and my husband, photos that I've taken, I even wake up in the middle of the night with an idea and have to draw it as soon as I get up.

When do ideas come to you? How often?

Ideas come to me all the time, in the middle of the night, while watching TV, while driving, while hiking and fishing. Stained glass in on my mind at all times. It's a passion

What percentage of the day do you think about or work on your art?

About 85% of the day.

Do you create daily?

Yes

How important is it for you to create art?

Very important! It's my passion and I would be lost if I couldn't create my art.

Do you feel that choosing the artist’s life has been a sacrifice?

Have you given up certain luxuries?

I don't feel that an artist's life has been a sacrifice, it's a way of life. I have not had to give up any luxuries. I feel the the opportunity to create has helped my way of life.

Describe your studio.

We converted one our bedrooms into a studio. It's a bit small and hope some day to build my dream studio. My husband is a woodworker and has built all my tables and racks to hold my glass sheets. I have all the great tools and equipment that a stained glass artist needs except for running water. I have to wash all my pieces in the kitchen sink. I've even taken larger pieces out onto the lawn with a hose and cleaned them there.

Tell me something about you.

Around 1975, after running out of ideas of what to make for Christmas presents, I found a picture of a very simple stained glass piece and decided "I can make that". I went into the local stained glass supply store and got a 20-minute lesson from the owner. He then sent me home with some cheap tools, a how-to book and some free scrap glass and a life long passion for stained glass had begun.I've always had a dream to live in the mountains and dreams can come true. With a long time desire to leave the San Francisco bay area, where I worked for years in the electronics industry, and to get into a slower pace of life, my husband and I moved to the small mountain community of Pioneer, CA, located in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, in 2001 where I have enjoyed my art more than ever. We live a great life in the mountains with our two cats and can't see living in any other way.My husband joined me as a partner and we formed a small business named Sierra Creations. My work includes a variety of pieces ranging from smaller items such as suncatchers, candle holders, night lights, to larger framed windows, and custom orders. My husband is the woodworker in the business and creates all my frames, display stands for shows, as well as some of his own designs.

Meet Leigh of Flowingglass

Meet Leigh of Flowingglass

You can visit her shop here:

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5878274

How many years have you been an artist?
I don't know that I consider myself an "artist", but I've always had a yen for the aesthetic. When I was young, I thought I would grow up to be a writer. Words on paper are my friends in ways that words out loud either in front of or in exchange with other people will never be. (Who knows, maybe someday I will write a successfully published book!) But for now, I'm drawn to many things creative. I like to quilt, particularly picking the pattern and the fabrics; I love making photos of outdoor scenery with our digital camera; I enjoy beading and making jewelry and am just learning a bit about wireworking; "doing glass" in my little made-over studio has been a wonderful journey so far, too, and it's fun to think about where it will eventually go...but an "artist"? I don't know.

How many years have you worked with glass?
I took my first glass bead-making class almost two years ago in May. It's something I'd wanted to do for a long time and finally came across a class within a reasonable driving distance. Bead-making led to a class in fusing the following fall and I've been primarily doing that ever since.

What triggers ideas for new projects?
It's hard to define where ideas come from. Sometimes it's a question someone asks...like "can you do this?", sometimes it's an article in a magazine, sometimes it's something you see somewhere that gets you thinking "I wonder if I could make something like that in glass?", sometimes it pops into your head out of nowhere when you're asleep or doing something totally unrelated or when you're staring at all the bits and pieces of glass lying on the work area. The trick for me is keeping the idea in my head until I have the chance to try it out!

When do ideas come to you? How often?
I get ideas at all different times, really. It's unpredictable. Often many many days will go by when I don't have time to work on or even think about glass (or anything else creative) and then, suddenly, I'll have a little mental down time and the ideas will just come. I try not to analyze it too much or get too worried when there's a lull. Things have a way of working themselves out in the end.

When do ideas come to you? How often?
Since I have to work full-time outside of my home studio, I don't work on glass every day. I'd like to, of course, but during the school year (I work in a public school), most of my studio time has to be on the weekends.

When do ideas come to you? How often?
Well, as I explained above, I don't have the time and opportunity to actually create something every day...but I believe the subconscious mind is always working, even when you're physically doing something else. I like to think it's what triggers those "eurekas!" in the middle of the night. :-)

When do ideas come to you? How often?
Having the opportunity to get into the studio and set the outside world aside for a while is really a sanity-saver for me. My day-job work environment can be very stressful and mentally demanding. Working in the studio is like walking through a "stargate" into a separate reality--one where those aspects of yourself that you aren't able to bring out in the minute-to-minute interactions of daily life are able to be expressed. It reminds me that there is more to life than my day job, something that it's easy to lose sight of during a really bad week.

Do you feel that choosing the artist’s life has been a sacrifice?
Have you given up certain luxuries?
I don't know that I can say I've officially chosen the "artist's" life, since I do have to work full time at another job. I can say that there are certainly a lot of things I choose not to buy because I'd rather spend my available dollars on glass or other glass/jewelry-related items. In that regard, I can honestly state that I've given up some things in favor of others, but so far I don't really see it as making a sacrifice.

Describe your studio:
My studio is located in our basement, in what used to be my daughter's bedroom. It wasn't a large bedroom, so it isn't a large studio, either. (It would be great if it worked like the tents in the Harry Potter series, where it looked small on the outside but was as big as you needed it on the inside!) My husband built some terrific, sturdy counters and lots and lots of shelves for me, all of which are stacked with glass and jewelry supplies and components. Once in a while, when I have a craft show coming up, I drag a lot of it upstairs and spread it out all over the kitchen, dining room, and living room to take advantage of a bunch of south-facing windows and an abundance of sunlight. (I don't like clutter, even my own, so this never lasts long.) A bigger space would definitely be one of the first things on my "wish list."

Tell me something about you:
About me...I grew up in rural northeren Minnesota, one of a family of six children. I met my husband at the tender age of 14 and we've been together ever since---we'll celebrate our 33rd wedding anniversary this spring. We have three children, all grown and managing their own families within an hour's drive of where we live. As I mentioned above, I work full-time in a public school as a school librarian. One of our district librarian's retired three years ago and was not replaced, so I now run both a K-8 library and a 9-12 library...traveling to alternate buildings on alternate days and teaching elementary resource time on top of it. It's an exhausting schedule that begins at the end of August and ends in early June, often leaving me little energy for anything else at all. My goal is to one day open a combination studio/gallery/shop for glass and other art that will enable me to leave my day job behind and dictate my own schedule. I have no illusions that it will be any less work, but satisfying work? Definitely!