A Word From Crystal
I was always an adventurous child, open to new ideas, willing to explore and as my parents will attest, pushing my boundaries. However, art wasn’t a part of my world and not until I reached adulthood were my eyes opened to its breadth and beauty. I started my journey guided by my husband, Mendy, and as my appreciation grew, we explored together. As a latecomer to art, I feel an almost desperate need to make up for lost time, to not only learn about art, but to create my own. This passion to create was not immediate, as with most things in my life, I had to get there on my own.
I left college with an economics degree, which I put to work in a variety of high tech jobs in Austin. The work was fast-paced, the people fun, but I didn’t feel fulfilled ... not even close.
What did fulfill me and inspire, move, excite, energize and soothe me was art. Mendy and I attended exhibits and art galleries. We read about it, discussed it, admired it, collected it, and displayed it. We still do. The fact is, we practically live and breathe art.
So it was probably only a matter of time before I starting creating it. I started designing with glass beads and moved on to custom wire jewelry. I enjoyed it, but knew I needed a new challenge, both artistically and technically. I needed to expand my range of possibilities.
Then Mendy and I discovered fused glass and my eyes were opened to art’s infinite possibilities all over again.
Unlike other media that I’ve explored, fused glass seems to have an organic personality, a wild spirit barely contained. Glass for me is spontaneous, surprising, expressive, often wild and unpredictable, but always fun. Glass has a spirit that acts as a complement and a foil to my own adventurous personality.
There is also a sense of mystery to fused glass. I may design a piece with a certain direction in mind and then, after fusing the glass, go off in a completely different direction, all because the glass fused in some unexpected but wonderful way. This unexpected nature challenges as well as rewards me. The glass is, in a very real way, a partner in my artistic journey and I often feel like I’m not so much working in the medium as working with it.
The relational give-and-take of the medium, its simultaneous simplicity and complexity, the singular uniqueness of each finished piece — I love it all. I don’t think I’ll ever tire of working in fused glass, simply because there’s always something new. I can’t wait to get to my studio every day, open my kiln, and see what last night’s fusing has produced.
The entire family has become addicted. My 5-year old son Jacob has his own set of miniature tools and enjoys creating in the studio while I work. My wonderful husband is an enthusiastic collaborator. He has his own distinctive style and techniques that he explores. He also helps me research heat profiles and lets me bounce ideas off of him. After a day of working together in the studio, we turn the kilns on and the following morning, we can have a three-way race to see the results awaiting us in the still-hot kiln!
I draw the inspiration for my jewelry from many sources. Inspiration can come from the interplay of colors and textures in the glass, from family, friends and customers’ encouragement and feedback and the world around me. Sometimes inspiration comes from happy coincidences also known as a mistake if I don’t like the results. Regardless of the inspiration, every piece of fused glass jewelry I create is a one-of-a-kind work of art. Art should push the limits of its creators. Art should be fresh and new and unique and unpredictable, just like life itself.
Mendy’s BiographyJacob’s Biography
