Shawna Hovey, Portland, OR
Jewelry, dichroic glass, fused glass, floral, sea, mountain, starfish, dragonflies, butterflies, and ladybugs... collectable dishes. All original glass designs, as well as, original handcrafted metalwork and filagree in sterling silver, copper and gold-filled materials.
Jewelry that enhances the beauty of the wearer... Specialties: Fused glass, specializing in dichroic glass jewelry; themed scenic pendants (mountain, underwater, floral and garden whimsy...); Sculpted pieces include: 'floral fantasy' and 'ice sculpture' designs, as well as, dragonflies, butterflies, starfish, ladybugs... and a new line of sculpted collectable dishes/plates; current theme: leaves and ladybugs.
Artist's Statement:
Born, too, as a butterfly from the Chrysalis, a journey through cancer, chemotherapy, and heart failure delivered me to a new life. A life filled with brilliant beauty, great joy and heart felt thanks for the opportunity to "do what makes my heart sing" as never before. Creating with glass gives me great joy. I am inspired by life's infinite beauty and sharing my joy with others.
I have come full circle by thriving in this beautiful world of glass, and by sharing with others, my belief that hardship can bear many gifts and great joy, by maintaining a positive attitude and focusing on belief rather than defeat when faced with hardships of their own. I am thankfully living proof of these beliefs...
I found this beautiful medium of dichroic glass while undergoing chemotherapy, as you are forced to slow down and take stock. It was like a 'creative explosion!’ I found dichroic glass to be breathtakingly beautiful! But it wasn't until about 4 years later that, on a whim, I stopped by a neighborhood glass shop to inquire about classes. I took one class that included a two-day process of the basics and I went on my way. That was my humble beginning. It ignited my ‘new life’.
I am told continuously "NObody does what you do with glass"; I can't speak to that. All that I know is that the process I have developed just seems to bubble up from within my soul. My choices of color, techniques that I use to create, and themes I choose are purely instinctual. I can't tell you what I'm going to create when I begin. I listen to the spirit of the glass, and watch with childlike anticipation to see what is going to appear... It's a great perspective!
A bit about the medium and process…
While it is difficult to capture it's depth, color and beauty in photos, Dicroic glass is a brilliantly beautiful specialty glass. 'Dichro', as it is known was discovered while developing reflective face shields for NASA.' Dichroic' means 'two colored', and its colors shift depending on the angle and lighting from which it is viewed... truly mesmerizing. Designing with dichroic glass can be a challenge as the colors before firing are completely different than after firing, i.e. orange shifts to green after firing, etc., which makes absolutely ‘no sense’ to the untrained eye when looking at the pre-fire design.
Each finishe
