November 9, 2018

ARTIST FEATURE: Judy Gartland

Meet Judy Gartland! She is an incredibly talented fused glass artist and instructor at Third Degree Glass Factory.

Where are you originally from?

I have always lived in STL; grew up in University City.

How did you begin working with glass?

By accident. Saw a paperweight experience listed in MCC course listing. Finally got it as a gift from my family. Then took the 6 or 8 week hot glass class; then took the fusing class and have stayed in that studio.

What inspires you?

Colors and designs that I wonder if I might try to do in glass. I do not think I have a favorite color, but if I did, it would probably be blue. This is a hard question because we use Bullseye glass and they have such a great assortment of colors. Some Bullseye glass colors react with each other and that is fun to see what you can work out. As far as the types of designs that I am inspired by, I would say I do about equal between organic and geometric designs. Usually I like trying something something new.

What’s in your toolbox?

Right now: a granola bar , two empty mold boxes, a bunch of little black dots that spilled out of their container, bandaids, tic-tacs, and my treasured instructor manual. (The important tools I leave in my cubby in the studio, e.g. glass cutter, running pliers, breaking pliers, etc.)

What are you working on now?

Some sushi dishes. Just finished some big pieces using Bullseye’s cascade glass. See the finished cascade pieces below.

What experiences do teach and what do you enjoy about teaching?

I teach the Path to Independence classes, samplers and experiences. The best part is sharing the fun of creating beautiful art and the techniques to achieve a vision. Students can be wowed when they see it just takes a little practice.