PILCHUCK GLASS SCHOOL
I went to Washington for a transformative week at the prestigious Pilchuck Glass School at the end of May — and it completely shifted how I am approaching my work.
Morning View in front of the messhall
What started as a technical mission became something much deeper. Originally applying back in October 2024, I thought this would be a slower time in the studio. Instead, everything converged at once, as things tend to do. Unsure about leaving my studio with looming deadlines, I forced myself to go and found myself deep in the foothills of the Cascade Range, walking up and down a steep path daily to reach our studio, where I spent long days completely absorbed in stained glass work.
Not wanting to lose traction on my projects back at home, my original intention was purely technical: focus on the mechanics of large-scale work, double-check elevations and designs I had been developing, and ensure I had not missed crucial details. What I ended up doing was also allowing myself to create work outside of the commissioned pieces that have been fueling my studio these past few years and two new pieces that were purely self-generated came to life while I was there.
Late night in the studio
One became an exploration into incorporating 3D glass elements, something I had been curious about but never fully pursued. This piece has already sparked ideas for my next series, and I am now intentionally carving out time between commissions to explore these concepts further.
I have often talked about how I am inspired by the natural landscape around me, but standing on this mountain, drawing out a template for this piece, I realized how profoundly true this is. In the photo below you can see my panel, entitled 'Dissever Mountain,' in front of the path I walked up and down every day.
Dissever Mountain Stained Glass Panel
I spent my time before coming to Pilchuck listening to Emptyset's newest recording, 'Dissever,' and the convergence of their record with being in this new landscape deeply influenced my psyche and transmuted into this piece.
WIP
The other panel is actually the bottom portion of a much larger piece that I am looking for the perfect home to create it for! Focusing on just this section allowed me to explore glass pairings I have not attempted before.
New stained glass panel
The design itself is much more gestural than the geometric work I have become known for and I wanted to apply the looseness I have been enjoying in my watercolors to my glasswork. It was exciting to find balance in the composition even in its more fluid state rather than focusing on the precision of creating straight lines with this handcrafted medium.
Workbench View
Pilchuck at Night
Pilchuck Cabin
