"My fascination with glass began at
age 5, 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 successfully working
with leather and clay, I finally had the opportunity to
learn to blow glass at a studio in Ybor City, Florida in
1987.
"I
have studied the creation of larger forms with Fred Kahl
and John Brekke, instructors and artists working at the
New York Experimental Glass Workshop. I am now working in
an additional facility, Sigma Studios in St. Petersburg,
Florida. When producing larger and more complex forms, assistance
is used to provide an extra pair of hands during the blowing
and polishing processes.
"Currently
my work depicts through the use of recognizable icons, emotions
relating to family, personal growth, and the spiritual connections
between each of us as souls.
"The
focus is centered around the internal graal technique and
overlay techniques, incorporating hand cuffing and photo
resist. To finish these works, acid-etching, fire-polishing
methods and a six-stage grinding and polishing techniques
are used. These processes used in my one-of-a-kind and series
works, enables imagery inside, on the surface, or in some
cases both, to juxtapose combined images to articulate the
message or idea.
"Learning
these techniques and through experimentation with the medium
has allowed me more freedom of expression, to better draw
the viewer to what I envision and hopefully touch similar
emotions."