McManus Glass & Jewelry
Kiln Formed Dichroic Art Glass Jewelry & Jewelry for the Home
A Little Bit About Michele
I remember being about 6 or 7 years old and being asked that age old question, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" I would say "I am going to go to FIT (Fashion Institute of Technology). I am going to design clothes." I know, I was a strange kid. I did not do that. Here are some of the things I have done.
At 16 I graduated from high school. The summer in-between high school and college, I traveled through the US. I made acrylic flowers and beads from Playdoh strung on telephone wire and worn as a necklace. People gave me money for these "creations". I know, I was a strange teen. A word of warning Playdoh melts in the heat of the sun.
Throughout college I was the organizer and facilitator of our school's art shows, classes and a cooperative of students and instructors. In the 1970's I co-owned a leather shop. Most of what we sold we made ourselves.
My hobbies have included, weaving/spinning, hand building clay forms, carving then firing in the raku process, polymer clay, beading, metalsmithing.
Then in 1999 I saw kiln formed glass. Specifically, dichroic glass. I fell in love. The colors are captivating and move people emotionally.
I approached learning about the glass and the processes pretty much the way I do most things. With passion, zeal and determination to create something unique. When I am working on something I can easily work around the clock without realizing the day and night has passed.
Initially, I wanted dichroic glass cabochons to bezel set in my sterling silver, beaded jewelry. Then the glass took over my life. In addition to jewelry I have been creating accessories for the home.
One of the things that amazes me about kiln formed glass - are the visually significant changes every step in the process. I am like a child waking up Christmas morning every time I open the kiln.
I start with full sheets of glass. Each piece I make has dozens sometimes hundreds of tiny pieces of glass. It is fired in a kiln then cut, ground and polished and fired again. Some pieces go through this process several times. I finish the glass the same way semi-precious stones are finished. With diamond encrusted lapidary equipment. Starting with a coarse grit and using finer and finer grits to achieve pristinely finished pieces. As opposed to self-taught I consider myself “self-mistaked.
It gives me a great deal of joy to share my work. What a gratifying feeling to enhance someone’s life with something that gives them pleasure!
Stephen King was asked why he wrote and his response was, that's what I do, that's what I have to do. (I am paraphrasing). Well, that's my answer or something like that.
Enjoy Beauty Always!
