“I have always been an “artsy” type of person, doing children’s painted T’s when my son was small, then did beaded sterling jewelry for many years. Then one day I took a fused glass class at a local studio and was hooked. Started “renting” studio space, then bought a small kiln, then a larger one and here I am today. I am mostly self -taught – I have taken some classes from some great teachers around the country and a lot of on-line classes as well. Glass is a hard medium, as Forest Gump would say, “you don’t always know what you are going to get!” There are so many factors that can throw you a curve ball when firing a piece -and sometimes you have to learn to make lemonade from a piece that just didn’t turn out as you expected. You are dealing with heat, chemical reactions and time. All my work is one of a kind, due to the size of my kiln, which while I say a “larger” one -it is still small by many standards – the largest piece I can fit in is 8-9” so usually it is one piece at a time. I have now been doing glass for about 10 years and over the time my concepts and techniques have changed and grown. I am most happy when a finished piece goes to a good home to be used and treasured.
Barbara Lester
Barbara’s Baubles
FB-Barbara’s Baubles-Functional Fused GlassArt”