Cuesta Glass
Barbara Grauke
There is a journey an artist takes. Whether it is spiritual or physical is not as relevant as the satisfaction the artist gets while on the journey. My journey has been extremely satisfying as I have pursued the many qualities of glass making. In the mid seventies I started to make stained glass for art fairs and commissions in homes. I then traveled to the east coast obtaining a BFA in glass (blowing was my focus), came back to California and opened my own glass blowing studio and having had to give that up, I now do what has become the most inspiring form for me, working with glass powders. I admit it…I am hooked on the medium of glass. To be able to shape, color and decorate glass is a pleasure for me every day. I will always be searching to define my “style” as I do feel the medium is always asking me to express myself in the colors and textures or shapes that I make. This wonderful journey will continue on.
I primarily work with glass powders. One technique that I use for my bowls and dishes is by sifting the powders on fiber paper, heating it , adding powder, heating again until I end up with a wafer of melted glass with my own designs and colors on it and then I fuse a sheet of clear glass over it to add strength to the sheet. I am also using the powders to paint, screen print and add a relief to the sheet of glass. Some work is very abstract and others are pictorial.