In a delightful fusion of color and creativity, students at the BARN Glass Arts Studio recently learned to capture the spirited essence of their furry friends through visiting instructor Cheryl Chapman’s whimsical glass portrait technique.
Cheryl traveled to Bainbridge from her home in Oregon to guide students through the magical world of reverse glass enameling. In this week-long intensive, her students learned the intricate four-stage reverse glass enameling process, a technique Chapman has been perfecting for the past 15 years.
Chapman’s journey with glass began 34 years ago when she took a stained glass class. “I was hooked immediately,” she recalls. “I took the intermediate class the following semester, and then I did stained glass for a long, long time.”
In the early ’90s, Chapman discovered fused glass, gradually phasing out her stained glass work. But it was about 15 years ago that she stumbled upon the technique that would become her signature style. “I joined a co-op where I lived, surrounded by painters and other artists,” she explains. “I had this idea of how I wanted something to look on glass, which kind of mimicked the style of a woodcut.”
Chapman’s unique approach involves painting on glass using enamel powders, creating vibrant, translucent pieces that come to life when light shines through them. Her process, which she’s sharing with her students at BARN, involves four distinct stages: lining, shading, coloring, and fire polishing.
“It’s a bit of a shift for people,” Chapman admits. “They have to think differently. The students often struggle with the concept at first, asking things like, ‘Can I scratch over this?’ because they forget we’re working in reverse.”
But as the week progresses, the magic begins to happen. Students who arrived with photos of beloved pets watched in amazement as their furry friends came to life on glass.
Chapman, owner of Silly Dog Art Glass, teaching has become an unexpected joy in her artistic journey. “I never set out to be an instructor,” she says. “But people kept asking me to teach, and it’s been really good. I’ve met so many people and helped spread the word about enamel on glass.”
This week is her first time on Bainbridge Island and at BARN, but her workshops have taken her across the country to various glass teaching studios. More than that, they’ve allowed her to educate the public about her unique art form. “In the last five years, when I do art shows, I get fewer weird questions,” she laughs. “People used to ask if I was painting on paper and then pouring epoxy over it. Now there’s a greater understanding of what I do.”
As the workshop at BARN drew to a close, Chapman’s students gathered around, proudly displaying their completed pieces. The room buzzed with excitement and newfound confidence. For Chapman, this is the most rewarding part of teaching. “Seeing people discover their own style, their own voice in this medium – that’s what makes me happy,” she says.
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