ANNE'S BIO
I have lived in Nashville, IN for more than 25 years. We are better known as “Brown County”. As were many, many artists over the past 100 years, I also was drawn to the amazingly soft, sensual beauty of the area.
As an artist, I have found that Brown County is just one of the most beautiful, gentle and spiritual spots in the world. The soft, misty, hazy air, the rolling hills and the sweet, loving people, many of whom I include as friends, have all contributed to two and a half decades of my landscape and glass art.
The landscape here has inspired me to develop a metal overlay technique that is soldered onto stained glass. This has helped me to capture the haze of our hills and the shadows of our woodlands. My subject matter varies depending on where we have traveled and what shows up in my backyard. I love to share my work with our county's visitors and encourage you to come to my studio and introduce yourself on your next visit to Brown County.
The time period we are living in will certainly be known as the era that the world awakened to our need for environmental concern and action. Many people are becoming aware that the pristine and beautiful places that we have taken for granted may not be here in the upcoming years. The condition of these natural treasures may no longer be of comparable quality in the future.
I first became aware of this while attending the University of Michigan, where I received a Bachelor of Science from the School of Natural Resources. While studying environmental education and ecology, I developed a lifelong concern for the health of the planet and an appreciation of its natural splendor. In 1976 I began to find a way to apply that interest and concern to glass art, and sharing these feelings and observations of nature has become my life’s work.
The work I have been doing in the flat glass medium expresses my deep love for the natural world. Rather than expressing the negative qualities of over-construction and degradation, I choose to work with and remind us all of the ethereal and beautiful, the mysterious and subtle aspects of nature.
Somewhere around 1979, I began to develop my copper metal overlay technique. It started with a need for small little details of natural elements on stained glass windows and has now become multi-layered and extensively involved work.
By using this metal overlay technique, I can hand-cut very intricate designs. Using landscape and wildlife motifs, I can create a pictorial effect. By applying the metal on the front and back of opalescent glass, I achieve an enormous amount of depth. By allowing the natural light to diffuse around the metal from the backside, I obtain a shadowy, misty effect, which plays off of the tantalizingly strong silhouette that the metal on the front creates. This is an original and unusual technique.
In addition to work done in the metal overlay technique, I also utilize the copper foil technique, which was developed by Tiffany. Many of the birds and flowers and contemporary designs that I create use transparent, hand-blown glass. These glasses are very subtle and beautiful, and allow me to use a delicate touch for design and color.
I have designed glass windows with many motif styles. My favorite, as you can probably tell, is Japanese art. I am completely drawn to the utter simplicity of style that these master artists have used to express the complex nature of life. I think that the style goes hand-in-hand with the essential properties of stained glass.
There is a mystical quality to glass. It is a frozen liquid that acts like a solid. It transmits light. The mood of each piece changes as the sun and seasons change the natural light. Sometimes it is very active, at other times seemingly reflective and passive. You might never tire of a piece of glass hung in natural light. It will appear different each time you see it. It will change as the seasons change, constantly offering you a new view.
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artistic experience
Indiana State Museum Art Fair 2004–2007
I was invited to participate in this show in it's inception year and have been juried in the subsequent years.
Ann Arbor Art Fair 1983–2006
I have been an exhibiting member of the Michigan Guild's Ann Arbor Summer Fair since 1983.
Other Art Shows 1983–present
In addition, I have participated in numerous other national fine art/fine craft shows over these years including ACC (American Craft Council), the Ohio Designer Craftsmen shows, and more locally, at the Fourth Street Art Fair, Bloomington, IN.
Promotions Committee Chair 2005–2007
I was the Promotions Committee Chairperson for the Art Alliance Brown County.
Executive Committee Member 2000–2007
I was on the executive committee for the Art Alliance Brown County during these years.
Foundation Member 2000
I am a founding member and organizer for the Art Alliance Brown County (formerly known as Brown County Art Alliance).
Conceptual Director & Executive Director 1994–1997
I conceived of, organized, executed & directed the Brown County Center for Lifelong Learning. This program of 30+ courses per semester helped the community to educate, inspire, encourage and learn from each other. Courses included art & music.
Gallery Member 1987–1993
I was a working and exhibiting member of the Brown County Craft Gallery, Nashville, IN; a cooperative gallery.
Gallery Member 1976–1982
I was a working and exhibiting member of By Hand Gallery, Bloomington, IN; a cooperative gallery.
Gallery Owner 1976–1982
I was a founding member and co-owner of Graphic Glass, a cooperative glass and fine craft gallery in Bloomington, IN specializing in custom design and fabrication of stained glass.
Professional Artist 1976–present
I have been a full-time, professional artist residing in Indiana for over 30 years.
Graduate 1974
I graduated from The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI with a BS from the School of Natural Resources and a secondary school Teaching Certificate in Environmental Education and Biological Sciences.