Sheryl Salen

I have been creating and exploring all facets of the arts my entire life. My first explorations were devoted to dance, theatre and music. As an arts educator for the last 20 years, I now share my passion for the arts with my students. Exposure to many artistic mediums has occurred through the creative process of working with young artists and through the USCAD program at the U of S. I now focus my studio work on the exploration of both fused glass and encaustic painting.

I love glass! Glass is a versatile material that can be made into a variety of items for different purposes from decorative to functional pieces. Known as kiln formed or fused glass or warm glass, layers of glass are melted together becoming one piece in a kiln. Based on size and thickness of layered glass and the desired outcome of the glass piece, a firing schedule is programmed into the kiln at temperatures ranging between 1200 – 1700 degrees Fahrenheit. This is actually one of the oldest methods of working with glass. Some historians believe it dates back to the time of the Ancient Egyptians. However definitive evidence of glass fusing can be traced back to the Roman Civilization where it was used before the discovery of glass blowing.

I love the spontaneity and unexpected in creating and pushing the boundaries of what I know glass to be able to do. But, it was the moment when the kiln lid was opened for the first time and I saw the transformation that had occurred during the melting process that excited me the most. That transformation of a piece that been broken and ground and then melted into something new, strong and beautiful was to me spiritual and representative of our human journey.