Today we’d like to introduce you to Mary Peterson.
Hi Mary, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I am a self taught artist. My journey started 50 years ago when I took a tole painting class. After that, I moved to a wet-on-wet class at a local art studio. The owner talked me into an oil painting class and I discovered I could actually paint! I started selling a few paintings, but, life happens and I quit doing any art for 20 years. At that time, my husband and I started renovating a house on 34th and Benton Blvd, KCMO when a man sold Randy a stained glass panel. It was in very bad shape so we took it to a local glass shop. She told us it was not worth fixing but would give me half off a stained glass class. This started my love affair with glass! I moved from leading glass to mosaics but when I was able to buy my own kiln, a whole new world opened to me. I love, love, love glass. Since then, I have taken classes, bought books and webinars from individuals, and talk to multiple other glass people to learn different techniques. My favorite thing to do is painting on glass. I use ultra finely milled glass that is combined with pigment as a base. This base is mixed with a medium to make it the consistance of paint. I can then “paint” on glass and kiln fire it . This makes the final product glass on glass and will not change with time!. I often use multiple layers of glass. Each panel has part of the picture. When the pieces are fused together, it creates super depth.I also love to make wall and table sculptures.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Nothing is smooth going! I had to quit doing any art f0r a while . When my children were young, my then husband and I started a direct sales business. That was when the Country style of decoration was big. I designed, cut out with a scroll saw a lot of the product, painted and decorated the pieces. I would then do home parties and craft shows to market our line. During this time, a divorce happened and I had to get a “real” job and be a single mom.There was not much time for art and I was pretty burned out. It was not until the remarriage and the house renovation that I started wanting to do art again. That is the life story, now the glass story. I love nature and use it for inspiration in almost all of my art. With glass even though I take classes, etc, there is still experimentation. Some things work, some are epic failures! It is all a learning process. I am retired and pretty much make what I want to make when I want to make it. It is so much fun to get an idea of something I want to make and then figure out how to do it. Glass is an expensive medium to work with, so I try to not to make too many mistakes! I recently was doing a show when the wind came up suddenly causing a shelf to go crashing to the concrete. Several of the broken pieces were very involved, time consuming sculptures. It broke my heart to trash ithem.. I scooped the pieces up for one, glued them together in a heap and call it “Life Happens”. I may do the same process with another crashed sculpture and call it “Plan B”. I am 75 years old but in good health so I am hoping I have a long time left to make and sell art!
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
As stated before, I am self taught with no formal art training. I have come a long way from the beginning of my journey and am still learning about composition and color. I love painting and glass. When I learned the technique of painting on glass, It thrilled me to be able to combine my two loves! There ane not many glass artists that paint on glass with this technique. My family and friends take pictures for me to paint .It makes me so happy when someone buys one of my pieces and come back to tell me how much they love it! I think I am known for my original pieces.. The glass I use is flat when I get it. Sometimes it comes in a color and pattern I can use for a sculpture. Sometimes it is a flat, clear panel. I can then add color with glass frit. Frit comes in powder, fine, medium and course. The end product dictates what size I use to make unique colors and textures. The piece is fused together, then slump into or draped over a mold. I rarely use a stock mold. I may start with one but add to it and make a one time use mold. This makes each piece unique and no 2 will ever be the same. My family and friends take pictures for me to paint. I do not have a website. That makes it work. When it quits being fun, I will quit.
We love surprises, fun facts and unexpected stories. Is there something you can share that might surprise us?
Most people do not realize I am 75 years old and still setting up my own tent and displays! Pleople come into my booth and are surprized that everything in it is glass. I display my fine art and my fun art but it is all unique to me. I am pretty much an open book. What you see is what you get. Between my husband and myself we have 5 children, 13 grandchildren and 3 great grandchildren. Before Christmas, we will have craft day and as many as can will come and make ornaments, magnets or whatever they fancy in glass. I am also a bee keeper and sell honey to my friends and neighbors. Family just come and get it!
Pricing:
- Simple, small paintings are $85.00-$125.00
- Most of the large painting are $300-$500
- fun art starts at $10 to $125
Contact Info:
- Facebook: Face book Mary’s Glass Art
- Other: e-mail [email protected]
