Spotlight
Interview with periwinklesuz
What is your professional backgound?
Professionally, I am an art teacher. I love being creative and consider myself a Professional Art Hobbyist. lol
What made you start working with glass and when?
I have always loved stained glass and always thought it was gorgeous. My mother got into stained glass and wanted to share her hobby with me. She bought me a starter kit for Christmas and I took a class and became addicted!
Does your glass inspiration come from someplace special in your life?
I take inspiration from everyday things. I let my mood guide me and love to just create and see what happens. I don’t usually have an end result in mind as I like to just keep working with glass until I get a result I love.
How would you describe glass?
It’s purty.
Is your studio all you want it to be?
I kind of make my studio happen for me wherever I am. I would love to dedicate a special place for my studio, but right now I work on things in the hub of my household so I can still be doing what I love while interacting with those I love – my husband and two sons. It’s a travelling studio, if you will.
Do you prefer music or quiet when you are working on your craft?
I prefer to have quiet while I am working. I concentrate so much on what I am doing I pretty much tune everything out anyways. I like to get deep inside each piece of glass and let it “speak” to me and guide me through its metamorphosis into a new piece of art.
If you have a really bad glass day, what comforts you?
I don’t really need comforting – I just need to clear my head so I can start over later. I don’t let the “failures” frustrate me. I take it all as a learning process. I just walk away and do something else until the mood hits me again.
If you have a really good glass day, do you celebrate?
If I’m having a good glass day the day disappears without me even noticing. By the time I’m too tired to work anymore the moon is out (or sun coming up!) and everyone else is sleeping. Well, except maybe my teenage sons. After a good glass day I feel a sense of peace and I can sleep soundly and not have any new ideas fluttering around in my head.
The best part of working with glass?
I love working with glass simply because I find it so beautiful. No two pieces ever turn out the same. I love that each piece means something different to every person. For example, I have some pieces that I don’t really care for and put in my “dud” pile. My sister will come over and pick out some of my duds and falls in love with them. So you never know what will touch someone else and I just love that about glass. It’s impossible to have an ugly piece of glass. Someone somewhere will love it.
What is the worse part of working with glass?
I honestly can’t think of anything bad! I love it so much. Maybe when I cut my fingers? Or a piece of glass cracks where I didn’t want it to? But then I just go and make it into something new and exciting, so that isn’t really bad. I guess it’s all in your perspective!
Can we have a few words of wisdom from you please?!
If you are unhappy with any result – just keep plugging away! To succeed you must mess up. That’s the only way to learn. I have made some weird looking stuff, but I usually can find something that worked that I can apply to a new project. Just keep trying, keep creating and have fun!
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