Melissa Zielinski

(707) 496-8227
http://www.millcreekglass.com

I love color and sunlight so it is natural that I love colored glass. I have been designing and creating traditional stained glass windows, light fixtures and window pieces since 1985, but I began working in fused glass in 2005. Patterns, shapes and subjects found in nature inspire me so most of my pieces involve leaves, jellyfish, dragonflies and other beautiful plants and animals.  I have been educating people about nature through most of my career as a natural history museum professional and I see my glass art as another form of teaching.I work with iridized translucent glass - glass that you can see through but with a special chemical coating that gives a subtle sparkly rainbow effect. I draw patterns for  my designs, cut and grind the glass pieces and assemble each piece using ground glass (frit), stringers (long, thin noodles), or glass confetti depending on the design. The glass is fused in one firing up to 1450 degrees in my kiln and then is slumped or softened to take the shape of a mod in a second firing.  There is some unpredictability with each firing, so it is a surprise each time I open the kiln.  This appeals to me and is a marked difference between traditional stained glass and fused glass.Glass work has brought me hours of creative enjoyment. I hope that, through my artwork, others can share my appreciation of the beauty in nature.

Susan Bloch

707-499-3664
http://www.susanbloch.com

Carving the Human Condition in Glass

I sand-carve glass faces compelled by the internal and external energy of human interaction. Impressions of the interrelationship between the mind and consciousness guide my work. Noticing miraculous emotional, logical and spiritual beings whose perception of the world through individual kaleidoscopic lenses of sensations and knowledge captivates me.

Glass is the perfect material to highlight the human condition. Its fragility, translucence, and reflective qualities perfectly match human characteristics and by transmitting light through its surface illuminate human essence. The glass and mirror surfaces reflect and acknowledge viewers, assisting the art in becoming invitations, conversations or restorative places. Like a conversation, each piece starts with one concept, changes with each viewer and is open, variable and responsive. The clear spaces in the work invite viewers to visually step into the work and see themselves floating softly in the face of another.

Connecting the viewer to the art is a growing interest. In my piece titled, Topsy Turvy, upside down heads loom over a small globe where inside viewers also appear upside down. Our beautiful minds play tricks on us, make assumptions, and color our worlds with infinite ideas; a joy and challenge of humanity.

My work is quiet and reflective, yet offers surprises, changing with time, lighting and angle viewed. Additionally, it is a testimony to those people who uncover treasures while journeying through life’s hills and valleys.