Meditation is the soul’s perspective glass. An interview with Jane Cairns Irvine, the Creative Director of Glassworks by JCI.

JCI. Being a working artist is a bit of a roller coaster ride.  The highs are glorious and the lows are worrisome.  I love that I have a certain freedom with my time.  As a single mom it is important to me to be there for my 11 year old daughter.  The highs consist of seeing a work of art come to fruition from a glimmer of a thought in your head to a finished piece.  It is a high like no other.  Whenever I complete a new project it is more rewarding than anything I have done in any other job in my past.

Q: I believe that artist show up in the world as artists in the rough. Do you feel that the love of being creative showed up early in your life? Do you remember when it sort of manifested itself to you?

Growing up, I always loved to draw.  I was always drawing and doodling, a little calligraphy, I dabbled in water colors.  But the most  difficult part was that I so often was so self-critical and told myself that my work wasn’t really that good.  I was often pleased with the outcome but not enough to show anyone outside my family.  I have always needed a creative outlet, whether it was painting, drawing or in music.  It was imperative to feeling like a whole person.

Q: Were your family and teachers supported of your artistic inclination and did they encourage you to express yourself?

JCI. There is no family that is more supportive than my family.  They have believed I can be anything in this world that I want to be.  I often worry that I will disappoint those who are my greatest cheer leaders.  It helps me to stay on track knowing that someone I love supports me wholeheartedly.

 

Q: What was the fist medium you dabbled in?

JCI. I remember drawing a lot as a kid.  I took some water color classes that I also liked.  Then I got very involved in music.  I was the lead drummer in a bagpipe band and we traveled and competed.  This took up so much of my time that all other creative expression was put on the back burner.  Once I came back to art I was very involved in oil painting and then pastels.  I loved working in pastels.  I did find I was a bit of a perfectionist with both oils and pastels.  I loved doing it but was very critical if things weren’t “right”.  Then I got involved in silk screen printing which lead to glass etching and finally to fused glass.  The path to fused glass was a long road with many diversions but it left me with a wealth of knowledge from other media that brought a more sophisticated approach right off the bat.

 

Q: Why is being an artist so important to you? What are the highs and lows about being a gifted artist?

JCI. Since becoming a full-time artist, for the first time I define a part of who I am by my occupation.  It is a satisfying thing to say “I am an artist!”  There is great satisfaction in the act of creating something and putting it out into the world.  It is hard to let go and set your work out for all to see.  There is a great vulnerability in exposing yourself in this way.  But it can be rewarding beyond all else.  I have to admit, with the exception of being a great mom to my daughter, there is nothing in my life that brings a higher high or a greater satisfaction as creating new works of art.

The lows are another story!  The lows consist of a slurry of lack of motivation, self-doubt, financial highs and lows, creativity suddenly drying up for no reason, life getting in the way of the creative process.  The lows are very difficult.  They can make me feel like getting into bed and pulling up the covers so I can wallow in peace.  I have come to a place where I will allow a very short period of wallowing and then I start lecturing to myself to get up and do something.  Make a list, make a plan, and set a goal.  Anything to counter act the slippery slope down.  Financial lows bring me down the most.  As an artist, I don’t like to be the salesman.  I love to talk about my work but selling is a chore.  It is an integral part of being an artist, but for me it is the most difficult.

Teaching classes has been another aspect of being an artist that brings both highs and lows.  The highs consist of creating a more constant income.  The lows come in the form of taking me away from my own work and creating my own competition.  I have learned a lot about technique and learning styles from teaching.  I have also learned a lot about myself and have come to finally see how talented I really am.  What comes so naturally to me can be very difficult to understand for others.  It has been a good affirmation to see that I truly understand my medium.

 

 

Q: When did you start your company, Glassworks by JCI?  And can you tell us what led you to become so prolific on the area of fused glass?  Is fused glass a new art form or has it been around for a while?

 

JCI. I actually started my business 19 years ago but at the time I was doing screen printing.  The business morphed into a few different areas that eventually lead to fused glass.  I had been doing sandblasted glass etching.  I was not overly excited by the medium and was looking for some variations to bring more to my work.  12 years ago, I came across fused glass while searching the internet and I bought a kiln, supplies and jumped right into it.  I have never looked back. It is a medium that has never become boring, tiring or stale for me.  I have more ideas than I have hours in the day.

 

Fused glass has been around for thousands of years and dates back to the ancient Egyptians.  Fused glass was the main technique for glass forming for over 2,000 years until the invention of the glass blowing pipe.

A resurgence in fused glass began in the early 1960’s with the Studio Glass Movement.  As a result, new companies were born that specialized in glass made specifically for fusing.  Currently, fused glass has become a very popular medium with the availability of more supplies, tools, kilns and books.  It is a somewhat forgiving medium that initially seems so simple.  The more you learn, the more there is to know.  It is a medium that takes constant testing, trial and error and just playing in order to master.  I am completely self taught and have loved the journey of discovering this fascinating medium.

 

Q: I have been to your studio and have seen many of the one of a kind pieces that you have created. I also noticed about 1000 empty bottles of wine and I am not being judgmental because I know that you have started Green Spirits. Can you tell us more about this part of your business? And why was it so important to add eco-friendly art to your repertoire?  

JCI. I promise, I had help emptying all those bottles!  I use the bottles to make new creations.  I cut slices from the bottles, fire them in my kiln and then create jewelry, wind chimes, rain chains and sculptures from the glass rings.  I have also begun using old window glass from some of the wonderful Victorian houses here in my town to create new works of art as well.  Most of the bottle glass and window glass would have ended up in a land-fill.  As consumer awareness of environmental concerns increases, many clients and customers are seeking quality, sustainable and unique products that have less negative environmental impact and more positive resonance both environmentally and aesthetically.

 

Q: You recently worked on creating a one of a kind mural that was composed of fused glass and the students’ imagination at the Sea Cliff Elementary School. What made you want to work with kids and how do you feel about the arts being cut in schools?

JCI. Ah, yes!  This was my baby!  My daughter just finished 5^th grade at Sea Cliff Elementary School.  Since she was in first grade I have worked with the kids to create a glass project each year.  The enthusiasm shown by the children is always heart warming.  They respond to the colors, the technique and mostly they say “WOW! They let us use glass!!”  Teaching the children proper techniques and how to respect the glass creates a wonderfully open learning environment.  I love working with the kids.  The arts are so important in the development of our brains, our souls, our psyches.  Children are so open to the arts.  Even the kids that would normally be timid with art projects responded so openly to working in glass.  There was nothing but enthusiasm for the project.  To see thekids stop in to see the progress of the project and know they were a part of it was so rewarding.     The artist working with a young artist

The finished project is called “Peacing It Together” and consists of 66 randomly shaped “tiles” that have been created individually by each student.  The final work of art is a 10’ X 2’ mural that is permanently installed just inside the front entrance of the school.  The children took great pride in their work and the unveiling was heart warming.  It is an experience that I will cherish and be proud to have been a part of.

Q: where do you see yourself in 10 years?

JCI. I see myself in 10 years not just as a local artist but as an accomplished artist on a national or international level.  I would like to see my work appreciated by a much greater audience with more opportunities to create new works and follow new paths.

 

Q: And finally, what advice would you give a future artist in the making?

JCI. My biggest downfall along the way has been in goal setting.  Once I set a goal I go for it with all I have.  The problem lies in completing the goal.  I ALWAYS end up feeling like “Now what??”  I have finally learned that one goal is not enough.  Set a goal, and then set a goal that will come after you have completed the first.  Always look forward, move forward and grow.  Don’t look back, have no regrets.  Also, have confidence in your work.  You learn along the way, but hiding will get you nowhere!

 

You can contact Jane Cairns Irvine, the creative genius behind Glassworks by JCI,
at 516-216-4630 or glassgrrl@msn.com.  Jane’s studio is located in Glen Head, New York and she gives classes at her studio and at the Art League of Long Island.

info@glassworksbyjci.com www.glassworksbyjci.com