Manon Crowley

My interest in glass began the way it has for many– in the traditional field of stained glass. I learned all that I could about it, then made it myself, wrote about it, and taught it to others for over a decade. I love the beauty, the spirituality, and the contemplative glow it brings to environments, and while it is still a great love of mine, all of my current work is in fused glass. I specialize in flat panels of fused glass– specifically floral still lifes, mosaic dinnerware, and awards that are primarily for the medical community. The still lifes are floral scenes bursting with layer upon layer of colorful glass flowers, as well as stems, leaves, vases, dragonflies, butterflies, and more. The awards are special art pieces designed to capture much more meaning and personality than those purchased in run-of-the-mill trophy stores. The mosaic dinnerware combine two different looks of glass art—the lead lines of stained glass with the piecing of mosaics–then they’re fired until flat and fired again to slump into shape. Although all three types of my panels end up being perfectly smooth, solid artifacts, they all started out as different glass elements: some were glass powders, some glass stringers, others glass frit, or tiny glass chips, etc. Pieces were sifted, cut, clipped, nipped, arranged in the kiln and fired anywhere from 1325˚ to 1500˚, then layered together and fired again several times until the desired results were achieved.

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