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About Rachel . . . Color is what inspires me most about doing stained glass art. The colors achievable with stained glass are richer than any of the other artistic mediums I have tried (watercolor, fabric and acrylics). Glass is just so beautiful all by itself that creating a "painting" with it is rewarding far beyond just the rewards of a satisfying line and color design. The inspiration for my glass pieces come from nature and the beauty of the glass itself. Glass has the unique ability to look different under different lighting conditions. Its translucency makes it so that as your perspective on the stained glass piece changes, so does the piece. In the process of creating a piece, the colors and the beauty of the glass stimulate me from beginning to end of the process - from the early design stages of a piece, through cutting and assembling the glass, soldering it and finally seeing it all come together as a finished, framed piece. I love it. Recently, I've expanded my art to include fused glass. With fused glass, I have the opportunity to create pieces that are more functional, but also have the exquisite beauty of glass. This medium allows me to work with special glass that changes its appearance once it is fired in the kiln. I've found some great surprises when I open the kiln after a long firing! I've had fun creating medallions for wine stoppers, and bowls and clocks with the same types of images I've enjoyed making in glass panels. It is satisfying to increase my repertoire beyond a piece hanging in a window (which has its own awesome beauty) to more functional objects that can be used in different lighting conditions (on a wall, in cabinets or on a table). These applications take more advantage of reflected light. The dichroic glass that I use scatters the light as it reflects it, producing a unique effect. I have been doing stained glass since 1998. It began as a hobby and grew into my passion. I started Rachel's Little Glass Shack in 2007, in Prescott, Arizona. I moved to the Big Island of Hawai'i in 2008 where my inspiration for my art has blossomed. My background is in mathematics and engineering - I have a PhD in Applied Math and was a professor of aerospace engineering for many years. But art has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. In college, I had to choose between art and math majors, and I chose math. But I took every studio art class I could - I just couldn't let it go. My analytical background serves me well when it comes to the practical aspects of stained glass - structural integrity of the piece and designing the piece to fit in an architectural application. I was born in California, but grew up in Chicago, Baltimore, Cleveland, southern California, Salt Lake City, Seattle, Richgrove - a small town in California's central valley, and went to college at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, and graduate school at Caltech in California. I've traveled to or through about 80% of the United States and have traveled abroad to India, Egypt and Mexico. Having seen all these places, finally settling in Hawai'i is a blessing! I have two awesome children and a wonderful, supportive husband. Life is such an inspiration! I look forward to sharing my joy for the art with my clients and project partners. Please feel free to call or email me with an inquiry. Aloha, Rachel |
