Gallery Member Interview

by E Steinebach on June 12, 2009
Filed Under: INTERVIEWS, MEMBERS, BRIGITTE WOLF

Welcome Brigitte Wolf as out second Gallery member kind enough to take time out of her busy schedule to share more about herself and her work.

How was it that you started working with stained glass?

I learned from a friend over 20 years ago and fell in love with it. I have since taken courses & workshops to expand my skills.

Where does the inspiration for designs/work come from?

Many places. My eyes are always open, looking for colour juxtapositions in nature, at patterns in nature and especially in architecture. I look at source books for Celtic art, quilt patterns, paintings and photographs. I am an avid photographer and have been using some of my photos, translating them unto glass using photo resist or as an inspiration for a painting on glass.

Who influenced you the most, or helped you along the way?

A number of people in the Canadian glass art community have been generous with their time and expertise, most particularly Sarah Hall, Kathryn Irwin, Scotty Giffin, Robert Brown, Heather Wood. I very much admire the work of all of these artists; each is using the medium of glass innovatively and is creating great art.

When have you ever been frustrated/disappointed with the material?

I have sometimes felt constrained by traditional stained glass–its rigidity, the dictates of the lead line–and have struggled to make my work more expressive by adding to my repertoire of skills, such as sandblasting, glass painting, photo resist. I realize that fused glass could eliminate the lead line entirely, but so far I prefer to work within the constraints of traditional stained glass.

What is your favorite glass and why? How did you use it?

Mouth blown antique glass, for its clarity and brilliance. And flashed antique glass for the many possibilities that exist to manipulate it and create interesting effects. I have used it recently to sandblast an image of a tree from one of my photographs, using a photo resist, and incorporated this into a larger design.

Thanks Brigitte! If you would like to contact Brigitte or see more images of her work, please check out her gallery page.