My love of art began at a very young age. I was always doodling and dabbling in various media, and took formal oil painting lessons throughout high school— even earning a first place ribbon for one of my works in an exhibit of local young artists. In college, I majored in both biochemistry and art—biochemistry was supposed to be my avenue to financial gain, and my pursuit of art was to maintain my sanity and provide an outlet for my frustrations with science. As part of my degree I was introduced to clay through a life sculpture class, which I absolutely loved.
My career path since college has taken many twists and turns but I have always pursued my yen for art in my spare time. I began with the excitement I remembered from working with clay in college, and learned how to make wheel-thrown pottery. I had connections to a university facility for many years, but when my family relocated to the Cincinnati, Ohio area, I no longer had that access and had to find a new outlet. This is when I began my transition into glass arts.
I started with a stained glass class in 2000 and have been involved in glass ever since. I took my first lampworking glass at Miami University’s CraftSummer and was hooked. I joined the University’s Art Center which gave me access to all the tools and equipment necessary to make beads, as well as to network and learn from other lampworkers. But what was I to do with all these beads I was producing? Make beautiful jewelry of course! And so I embarked on a course of self-study to learn the technical art of designing and building my own jewelry. A few years later, I took another CraftSummer class in fused glass and expanded my repertoire of glass arts.
My pursuit of art has always been for personal fulfillment and enjoyment, but I had the opportunity to participate in the Miami Art Center’s end-of-semester sales and so I took the plunge and began selling my work in 2010. Looking for other avenues to expand the sale of my art led to the next logical step: creating an online gateway for my art business. And thus was born AnnesDreamsInGlass.com.
Although it is nice to reap a few fruits from one’s labor, I am not in this “for the money”, but for the love of my art and the joy of seeing the pleasure others derive from it. My first commitment is to please you, so any feedback (positive or negative) is always welcome.
Please enjoy your excursion through my store, and do not hesitate to contact me via phone or email if you have any questions or would like to work together to design a custom piece.
