|
"I have always been a crafty sort of person but did not begin my 'art' career until I was in my 40s, and then, it was by accident"...
A girlfriend wanted to take a class in stained glass but didn’t want to go alone, so I signed up too. Little did I know that six weeks later I would be hooked.
There was so much to learn that I became an apprentice, and then took a job in a commercial glass studio. In the next five years I was fortunate to work on many varied and interesting projects as well as to teach classes.
Now I work from my home studios in Parkland, Florida and Dahlonega, Georgia doing private commissions, as well as creating inventory for the shows I participate in each year.
In addition to traditional stained glass in the lead and copper foil methods, I specialize in what is known as an “overlay” process. By creating a silhouette image from metal and affixing it to a piece of glass, I can attain a great deal of detail in a cost effective way.
The gourd art came about, again, by accident. While shopping in a home furnishing store I chanced upon what I thought was a beautiful rustic vase. It turned out to be a gourd. I bought it and after much contemplation I decided “well shoot, I can do this”.
So I hunted down some gourds (not easy to find in south Florida) and began my journey. A lot of what I know about gourd art has come from books and trial and error. The finer techniques I have learned in workshops from artists involved in the Florida Gourd Society.
I am currently a member of the American, Florida, and Georgia Gourd Societies.
Jan's Studio Assistants
 |
(Above) 'Kitten' was rescued from the parking lot of a grocery store when she was just slightly larger than my hand. Now she is my loyal assistant, helping with the cleaning, sorting and selection of feathers for my gourd masks. |
 |
(Above) This is Oliver doing what he does best (sleeping). He came to us as a half starved orphan, begging at the back door. Now he is king of the castle - not much help in the studio; in fact, quite a distraction at times. |