About the Artist
Emily Ohland is a fused glass artist living in West Lafayette, Indiana. She is proud mom to Everett, Carson and Allie and a variety of fur kids. She earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Music Education from College of St. Rose, Albany New York. She spent many years teaching choir, band and private voice and woodwind lessons in addition to singing professionally. From 2007-2010 she owned a paint your own pottery and glass fusing studio and that’s how her career as a fused glass artist began. All of her work is created in her studio which is situated in a converted pole barn on her property in Tippecanoe County. She travels with her artwork to juried art fairs throughout the mid-west and is a member of CCA Gallery in Carmel, IN.
Her work has grown to large proportions as she has acquired large kilns over the last two years. Her work is influenced by nature and is representational with a touch of whimsy. Her favorite thing to do is work with art enthusiastic clients to create something unique and special for their space. To date her work has included, back splashes, sidelight window inserts, window hangings, wall art, garden art and functional art.
About my Process
Fused glass, kiln formed glass and warm glass are all different ways of talking about the process of taking flat sheets of 2 or 3 mm glass and creating art out of them by melting them in a kiln. I begin with an item in mind and use many factors to decide how to approach a particular project.
All creations begin at my cutting table. Here is where I score and break glass to make shapes for my design. Sometimes it is as simple as a rectangle of clear glass that I will be using to enamel paint. Those pieces then travel to my other work area to be enameled. Sometimes it is organic shaped petals of an intended standalone flower. Designs come in many forms from those that I have purchased for inspiration to those that have come to fruition by pre-sketching and contemplation. I find that some of my best work is created in the moment right there at my table.
After the design begins to develop several things can happen. The direction I go next involves decision making about the thickness of the piece and it’s intended purpose. Much of my stand alone art is created from a single 2 mm or 3 mm thickness and as a result is quite fragile. This works great for organic shapes like butterflies and flowers. It is also great for fine art pieces that won’t see daily use or are intended as wall or shelf art. However, functional art needs to be more hearty and substantial so those pieces are 6mm thick and sometimes more.
I use both free form molding and pre-made ceramic molds in my process, it just depends on what I’m doing. All vessels such as bowls, plates and platters are fired on a mold to achieve the shape. This is one of the things I love about this medium is that it is so very versatile and I’m not locked into one process on a day-to-day basis.
After a design comes to life on my glass design or enamel design tables I place the glass (sometimes MANY pieces of glass) into the kiln to fire. Firing is a complicated formula of heating the glass at a regular speed to certain critical temperatures and holding it for periods of time appropriate to the piece’s size and thickness for the desired end affect. Most pieces require multiple trips to the kiln. Anything that is other than a flat piece has been to the kiln at least twice and often more times than that. Multiple firings are required to create depth, allowing for binders in enamel pieces to fire off before putting layers together and to create organic or functional shapes for the pieces.
Before a piece is complete and ready to be used by you it must be finished, cleaned, signed, have mounting attachments added, framed, etc. Signatures on all pieces except fine art are created using a diamond bit to etch in the surface of the glass. I do all of this work myself so not only am I a designer and glass artist but I am a more than average tool user and assembly technician.
Every piece from my studio has been through hours of contemplation, design, firings, assembly and finally comes to life as a one of a kind work of art that I sincerely hope will bring you joy.