SHELBY HINE Fused Glass Artist
“My days and nights are filled with thoughts of glass, its inherent fragility often juxtaposed with an unexpected strength.”
Shelby Hine’s practice of fusing glass has been building up for a long time, long before she actually made her first fused glass piece. During her childhood, under the watchful eyes of her grandmother, Shelby created many play companions from found objects such as twine, buttons, nylons, old jewelry, fabric scraps and sticks.
Later, as her children got older, Shelby returned to creating, starting a career as an interior decorative painter for both residential and business clients. During that same time, her mixed media artwork began to emerge, and as time went on, Shelby found herself exploring different mediums in order to express herself artistically. Soon, she began finding time to explore glass: she especially appreciated that working with glass offered her a fluidity of form, flexibility for expression, distinct textures and eye-catching color.
Shelby is constantly experimenting to see what glass can and will do, especially when it comes to color and texture. She says, “I am always looking to push the limits just a little bit with my glass work. How thick can it be? What happens if I change a firing schedule? How can I maintain texture?” She is also very aware that her “best days in the studio occur when I realize from the start that I am not in control. Not even close”. Lately, she’s noticed that many of her recent pieces start from a place of honest emotion, becoming “reflections or comments to the bizarre state of our world. I think that I am constantly influenced by what is going on around me in the world…and often without direct intention, it shows up in my pieces”.
Shelby Hine’s works are going to be featured in an upcoming show at Gallery 708, “Emergence: Coming Into View”, an exhibit and sale of new works, opening on Friday, September 7, 5-8pm.
She shares: "The work I am creating for this member show is filled with bright colors. It has been an exploration of different thicknesses of glass and how that thickness variation affects the overall process of creating. If all goes well (fingers crossed) I will be showing pieces varying from 3mm to 15mm in thickness….in glass, this is a HUGE variation."
Shelby’s love for glass and her process are clearly evident in every piece that she creates. “I love what I do…I feel blessed that I am able to pursue this creative passion of mine and even on days when nothing goes right (or the way that I thought was right) I know that this is absolutely where I need to be”. Mark your calendars right away to attend this exhibit opening, and take home your Shelby! This exhibit will run through the end of October.
Written by Priya Rama for Gallery 708