Sandra Graham, Glass Owl Studio, Jacksonville, is a new member of the Arkansas Craft Guild in fused glass, a medium which takes many forms and colors. “A design is a starting point that may change as I arrange the pieces. Nature, a picture, a place or a mood can be the start of a design idea which can then develop into a finished glass piece. Inspiration can come from anywhere. When all the pieces are in place, I fire them together to make a disk. The disk is then cold-worked to remove any spikes or protrusions on the edges and refired to obtain a cleaner edge. A third firing takes place to form the piece if needed.” She has been teaching fused glass since 2019 at Arkansas Arts Center, now the Arkansas Museum of Fine Art, Wingate Art School, Little Rock.
She began working with glass while taking classes at the Arkansas Arts Center in 2010 and continued through 2015. After joining the staff as a work study student a few years later, she learned more about fusing schedules and how heat affects glass and purchased her first kiln and began working at home.
She purchased eBooks by well-known fused glass artists to learn new techniques and processes, including various strip construction techniques developed by Richard Parish, Judith Conway and Keven O’Toole. She learned how to make glass landscapes in an online course by Alice Bineve Gephart. Glass powder techniques were learned from Bob Leatherbarrow and Glenda Kronke, as glass powder can take on new form when fired at the appropriate temperature, it can look crackled or delicate like coral.
“I experimented with melting glass through a stainless-steel screen onto a kiln shelf to blend colors in exciting ways. Learning cold working processes such as using diamond hand pads and sandblasting has allowed me to get a better finish on the edges of thick pieces and achieve a desired finish.”
“About 4 years ago I began working with a Vitrigraph Kiln, allowing me to make my own cane and murrini. I have been concentrating on making cane and murrini for the past three years which allows me to make a design with colors specific to my project. I learned this technique by watching a video by Nathan Sandberg and by purchasing eBooks by Dale Keating and Fydor Zubinoff. I have been highly influenced by the works of Sandra Fuchs who works in Austria and Italy. This type of kiln work has expanded since first introduced by Bullseye Glass Company where it was developed by Narcissus Quagliata and other glass artists.
Sandra's glass art pieces may be purchased at the Arkansas Craft Gallery, 104 E. Main, Mountain View. Visit her artist roster page here on our website.