Artist Statement
I have always been fascinated by patterns, both those found in nature and those created by man . This first led me to a career in geography. I began working with glass as a hobby in the mid -1980s. Insects and various organic shapes began showing up in my glass work in the mid -1990's after I married a biologist and started Dragonfly Glass. For my very first show I created a giant three-dimensional stained glass dragonfly to be the symbol for the business. With the twin inspirations of real insects and beautiful art glass, one species has led to another. I find I am continually expanding the range of my work. With each piece I create, I try to find the key that will help me to distill the complexities of nature into simple, but recognizable, patterns and forms.
Bio
I took my first stained glass class in 1980 while living in Houston, Texas. Since then I have moved around the country as well as in Canada (where Dragonfly Glass was born) working with glass everywhere I lived. After almost 20 years of working in stained glass, I added fused glass techniques to my repertoire. Techniques such as sandblasting, airbrushing and working with lusters and glass powders have allowed me to add richness and detail to my three-dimensional work as well as the tools to explore patterns that interest me, with more freedom, in my two-dimensional work. In 1999 my husband and I moved to Tallahassee, I bought my first kiln and we renovated our carport to give me a studio.
Along the way I earned an MA in Geography from UNC. In addition, I had the good fortune to study with noted glass artists Brock Craig, Avery Anderson, Newy Fagan, Karen Reed and Lesley Nolan. I have exhibited in numerous exhibitions and juried shows, most recently in "A Glass Act" at the Florida State Capitol in Tallahassee and at the 2007 ACRE Show in Las Vegas, Nevada. My work can be also be found in more than a dozen galleries, both in Florida and around the US. In 2006 I received an Award of Excellence at the Le Moyne Chain of Parks Art Festival as well as an Artist's Enhancement Grant from the State of Florida.
For more information on galleries and upcoming shows please contact me at jaye@dragonflyglass.biz.
