Deborah Carlson

dc@deborahcarlson.com

www.deborahcarlson.com

www.shootingstarglassstudio.com

I always knew the path of my self expression was through my hands. I experienced many different mediums, but selected glass because there are so many ways it can be patterned. Glassís clarity, strength, and flexibility can reflect whatever energy is coming through my core. Because of this materialís diversity of disciplines, the burden of translating a feeling to an image has been lifted. Glass has become my avenue in expressing my life growth.

My approach comes from a deep desire for depth, both inner and outer. I am very fortunate, in my twenty some years of working with glass, to have experienced not only most of the disciplines of glass, but also, most of the techniques of those disciplines. This knowledge enhances my ability to achieve the goal of depth within my art, and allows me the independence of free thinking in terms of expressing my art and enhancing the technique of communicating the idea.

It is with the partnering of this incredible substance that my clarity of living has become my sense of being. But, similar to marriage, every aspect of its being needs to be explored and enjoyed. In the present era, where glass is finally becoming a true fine art, we, as glass artists need to start coming out also, and making even the simplest bead say something about who we are. Achieving this goal can be simply accomplished by learning a new technique or just how to handle a different COE. There are now all kinds of forums, websites, and classes to help facilitate learning the different disciplines of glass. The whole object is to not stay still, to keep exploring and moving; to keep learning about you. New traditions are being invented or reinvented every day. There are so many ways of working this substance; it is hard to stay with just one. You can work glass cold, warm and hot. You can sculpt it, cut it, pull it apart and fuse it back together, make any color in the universe, or 2-D or 3-D. The sky is the limit. You can make small flowers huge or shrink a universe into a tiny globe. To only work glass one way is not giving this substance full credit for what it can achieve. In the long run, it is not the techniques that keeps us so enthralled, but the substance itself. Once you venture outside your circle of security, you grow; your possibilities become endless. Donít ever let someone limit this experience with words of you canít do that or it canít be done that way. We are all here to learn, not to be put in boxes and neatly wrapped so that other people can understand. Let the doubters come up to your level, donít give in and retreat to theirs. Growth is living; confinement is sterility.

*Deborah Carlson is a Colorado based glass artist whose works and commissions are in permanent collections and appear in national museums, galleries, private residences and public installations. Her unique fabrications have won numerous awards in both major national fine glass and fine art shows. Her art glass education includes studying under the worldís finest glass masters, both in the U.S. and Canada. She has maintained her own studio for over twenty years, creating both gallery and architectural work. Deborah teaches classes in most of the major techniques of glass work both in her studio and across the country. Contact her website for a current list of classes, appearances, shows, and new work.