About Roni
From quite young, my passion was math, so what brought me into the world of art glass? I would have to say that it all began when my Junior High art class teacher told me that I should never consider becoming an artist. Could that have been the spark?
It was a friend that prompted me to take my first course in stained glass, the perfect outlet for the stresses we encountered in our jobs as programmer-analysts.
The desire to do craft work has carried through my entire life, beginning when I was a young Girl Scout. Over time, both natural and man-made art have inspired me and led me to delve into a variety of crafts, both to create and to contribute. Yet, it was my first encounter with glass that captured my heart and brought me to discover my passion.
It was in that class that I made my first piece. It was the free hanging, Tiffany style window, you see here.
I was hooked. Almost forty years later, working in glass is a major part of my life, filling me with joy and purpose.
Today, my emphasis is on kiln-formed glass, also called fused glass or warm glass. I do, however, devote some of my time to stained glass and glass mosaics.
I describe myself as a mathematically minded, so the glass fusing process is perfect for me. It combines the use of mathematics, physics, chemistry, color, texture and form, all of which enhance my ability to create.
Many of my pieces are geometrically balanced and precise, often including a random focal point that draws the eye. Other pieces have a free and fluid form, their making transporting me out of my comfort zone and often offering exciting results. My pieces reflect my deep desire to create something original, eye-catching and appreciated. They range from functional to artistic, from familiar to unique.
I have had the good fortune to learn a variety of techniques from experts and artists in the field, for instance, the Tapestry technique, which I learned in a week-long course at the Corning Museum of Glass and Kilncast Glass and the Pate De Verre methods, in a courses at Bullseye Glass.
I especially love to experiment allowing the glass to lead me in new directions, spiriting me to enter even deeper into the realm of creativity. In my workshops and classes, I learn from my students. When I watch them build their pieces, I see them stretch their imaginations as well as the boundaries of working with glass, sparking in me new ideas and frontiers to attempt. I am and will always remain a student of glass.
