I received a B.A. degree in Art from San Francisco State University in 1979 and a M.F.A. degree in Art from the University of Hawaii in 1984. After graduating I worked as an artist in residence at the Tokyo Glass Art Institute in Japan and at Sculpture Space in Utica, NY. In 1985 I was awarded a five month fellowship at the Creative Glass Center of America in Millville New Jersey. In 2015 I was awarded an individual artists grant from the Leff-Davis Fund for Visual Artists of the Sacramento Region Community Foundation. I was the Susan Cooley Gilliom Artist in Residence and Teaching Program recipient for 2022 at the Blue Line Arts Center in Roseville, California. My sculptures have been included in the collections of the Corning Museum of Glass in Corning, New York, the Oklahoma City Museum of Art in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, the Oakland Museum of Art in Oakland, California, the Richmond Museum of Art in Richmond, Virginia, the Crocker Museum in Sacramento, California and the Triton Museum in Santa Clara California as well as numerous private collections.

Steve Baer has studied art, design painting, ceramics and mosaics for over 40 years, In his early years, he studied and was involved in antique restoration, craftsman design, .and photoghraphy. Over the years he has additionally studied environmental design, theamed design, lighting and tile design in the craftsman style. In the course of his study and early restorations, he became involved in various mosaic restoration projects. Through these various restorations, there was a need to recreate and re-invent various materials and techniques. In 1998, Steve formed Mosaic Tile Supply, a specilized studio and mosaic supplier. He produced various unique materials as well as taught mosaic classes. He has taught over 3500 students, including several church groups pruducing Byzantine mosaic murals for their churches. After a slow down in the mosaic business, He began working for a Disney contractor in Southern California. Since 2007, he has worked extensively with various Disney groups, including WDI the Imagineers, creating theamed installations, propping and design consultation. During this time the creation process has continued , flourished and he has utilized many of the various techniques, he has either learned or developed over the years. This year Steve has decided to come back to helping students explore their creative sides. He has joined the wonderful roster of talented instructors at the Glass craft and bead expo to share some of his techniques and experieces. You can contact him with any questions regarding the class or materials at htn229@yahoo.com, or find him at Mosaic Tile Supply on facebook.

Doug Baldwin is a commercial product photographer. After receiving his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California, he opened a commercial photography company. Since then he has created photography, designed websites, and produced videos for a wide range of clients from individual glass artists to Fortune 500 corporations. Doug has taken up flameworking after classes with Bandhu Dunham, Andy Pollack, Dolly Ahles, Laurie Nessel, and Kim Osibin. His love for all things glass has widened to include glass fusing, slumping, sand carving, casting, neon and plasma sculptures. Doug's teaching experience includes photography classes at the Art Center College of Design, the Art Institute of Phoenix, sold out Photography and Photoshop classes at the Bead & Button Show, ISGB Gathering, the Sonoran Glass School, the Tucson Bead Show, and at the Mesa Arts Center in Arizona.

Katie Baum began focusing on metal clay full-time in 2007. With degrees in Biology, Psychology, and Education, she tries to balance creative expression with logical instructions, enabling students of all backgrounds to comfortably experiment with and learn about metal clay techniques. Currently working with Art Clay World, USA, Katie is the Marketing Director, Distributorship Account Manager, Curriculum Coordinator, Master Instructor, and was also the Director of the international Art Clay Society from 2007-2013 when the group was ended. Katie has been teaching across the U.S. and internationally at venues including bead shops, home studios, galleries, national conferences, accredited schools/institutions, and international conferences. While metal clay is her most frequent medium of choice, Katie loves to work with mixed media, most frequently including mixed metals, glass, and ceramics.

Shayla Windstar Behrman Windstar Glass Glass Artist From an early age art in all shapes, forms and techniques where encouraged however it wasn’t until Shayla was 23 that she found lampworking. “It was the closest I have ever come to Love at first sight. I knew from the first time I melted glass that that is what I wanted to for the rest of my life.” Shortly thereafter Shayla left college and pursued a job in production pipe work at local glass studio Starphyre Creations. After about a year of working in a production studio, Shayla continued to pursue her career in functional glass art from her home in Pueblo Colorado Where she has a studio and raises her young daughter, 2 dogs, cat and a garden. Flame working since January of 2014 Shayla has received numerous awards at various events across the United States. 6th place at Champs Glass Games Masters Finals in 2017, 4 th place, Artists Choice and People Choice at Champs Masters 2019 for Mother, maiden, crone. 1 st place At FAM Glass Show 2019 for Ganesh, peoples Choice Mother, Maiden, and Crone at Glass Vegas 2020 as well as 2 nd place with Hicdogg for Koyaanisqatsi in the collaboration category. 2 nd place for Thunder bird wind chime at The 2020 Sonoran Glass School Flame off. Looking forward you can find Shayla at several up and coming events including competitions, demos, classes and art shows across the country. When asked what her future plans are Shayla replied “my current goals are to continue learning and evolving in my art, as a mother and all other aspects of my life. I have been truly blessed with the opportunity to support my daughter doing something I love. Eventually I would like to open a teaching studio where I can pass on the love I have for this craft to the next generation.” For more information and current work and projects please visit www.windstarglass.bigcartel.com or on Ig @windstar_glass Direct contact - windstarglass@gmail.com

I have owned a stained glass studio for 35 years specializing in the copper foil method, leaded glass construction, sandblasting, and some restoration. I teach classes in my studio, at conferences, and do public "hands on" demos. I enjoy the art and design challenges of my glass commissions. My classes are developed to make sure the attendees have fun, learn some "trick of the trade, and leave with a finished project. Bill Bird

Nadine started working in glass when she moved from her home town of Pittsburgh, PA to Hobart, IN back in 1991. She took a class in stained glass and has been hooked ever since. Now living in Glendale, AZ, she continues her self-taught glass artistry, at her home studio, Hidden Glass Studio. In 2012, she was looking for a challenge within fused glass and after a trip to Yellowstone, she began to learn and explore the makings of nature scenes. The inspirations were endless! After investing countless hours exploring, experimenting, testing, color correcting and creating various techniques, Naturescapes evolved. Each time Nadine creates a nature panel, she includes more advanced details within her fused glass panels. Nadine's technique uses one base sheet and adds various forms of glass, torching, coldworking and several kiln sessions, that brings depth and texture to invite the viewer to take a walk into nature. She has shown her glass work at the AZ State Fair, Glass Craft Expo's own Gallery of Excellence and in the Fine Art Festivals within Arizona, Nevada, Colorado and California and in two select galleries in New York. Nadine's techniques used in the Naturescapes have won multiple awards and numerous commissions for her. She has been invited to teach at Milkweed Arts Studio, Hollander Fusing Center-Houston and also holds private classes at her studio. She has developed a loyal following of students, who have taken her classes more than once! Her classes are timed for the students to enjoy a stress-free atmosphere, to have fun, learn various techniques to use within their nature panels and to leave with a complete finished project. All processes in the Naturescapes are easily transferrable to any size and any COE. Looking back, Nadine is thankful for her years working in glass. Glass has motivated her to be creative and has kept her attention with numerous and limitless possibilities to explore shape, texture and color… it's never boring!

Brandy found her way to metal clay while searching for a way to make her beadwork more her own. Armed with a starter kit with instructions in only Japanese, she jumped in with both feet and never looked back. Her passion for the medium and desire to share it with others led her to pursue certification with PMC and ArtClay, and most recently, Camp PMC. She has combined her other passion, enameling, with metal clay, as she is the author of the enameling artisan course for Camp PMC. She opened her own metal working studio in 2012 and teaches classes throughout the southeast. Her ‘mainstream job’ is in technology, which helps her pivot and innovate to reach a wider audience with her creative courses. Brandy lives in the Memphis area with her husband and their cats.

Marti Brown Marti was always interested in the arts. Some of her fondest memories included art camp, painting in her basement, art classes in summer school, and involvement in choral music as a child. Marti became a professional artist and craftsman after completing her BFA in jewelry making. She has been designing jewelry for over 40 years. As much as she loves creating jewelry, she also greatly enjoys teaching. Marti has taught nationally and internationally. Marti works in a variety of traditional and contemporary jewelry metals and processes. Currently she works in niobium, a colorful metal, embellished frequently with beads. A trip to Tucson for the gem shows reintroduced her to the joys of playing with beads. Marti is constantly looking for new sources of inspiration and has added beadweaving, Viking knit, polymer clay, felting and chainmaille to her techniques. You can find Marti at bead shows as The Dragon’s Odyssey. She is a founding member of the Delaware Valley Bead Society encompassing Hunterdon County in New Jersey and Bucks County in Pennsylvania.

Kara Bussey (of Glimpse Glass) spends her days both in the glass room, crafting whimsical 3D stained glass - and online, teaching and spreading love for stained glass through social media and videos. Kara has been creating nature-inspired stained glass for 20 years and is now introducing newcomers to the art of stained glass through her recent book, Stained Glass for Beginners (Leisure Arts). Her 3D stained glass wreaths, florals and moons have walked the runway as wearable art, been published in multiple stained glass publications, and enjoyed by millions online. Armed with post-graduate education and experience in public relations, Kara crafts all items for Glimpse Glass with a smile in mind from her home in Calgary, Alberta. You can find Kara online @glimpseglass on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, and shop her art, patterns and supplies on glimpseglass.ca.

I started my venture into the Art World in the 80's learning to airbrush in Reseda, CA then later apprenticing at Sign Design Shop in Ocean City, NJ. In 1991 I started my own business Airbrush & Stuff creating mixed media, signage including airbrushing, hand lettering, and screen printed apparel. My fascination with glass journey began in 2010. I bought myself a torch, some glass, and taught myself bead making by watching videos. In 2011 I attended a class at the Carlisle School of Glass Art in Millville, NJ. Shortly thereafter I started working for Carlisle Machine Works. As an employee of Carlisle Machine I was afforded the opportunity to take glass classes at the Carlisle School of Glass Art. I was able to assist many world renown glass artists visiting Carlisle to teach. I have been a Carlisle School of Glass Art resident Glass Artist & Instructor for 8 years.

Barbara Cashman resides in Greensboro NC and has been a glass fuser for 40 years. She is internationally recognized as a forerunner in the tile industry providing quality hand-made glass tile since 1990. She and her installations have been featured in many Trade & Home Decorating Magazines & HGTV, and was winner of several design awards, including the Crystal Achievement Award from Glass Magazine. As a teacher, she as known as a “Maverick Fuser” and freely imparts her many years of knowledge & experience with her students.

Stephanie Chavez is a certified metal clay artist and instructor. She is a diverse artist, proficient in many jewelry mediums; although her love, passion and expertise remain in metal clay. Certified through Rio Grande, she has been working with metal clay for over 10 years. With national and international recognition through her online courses in metal clay she has been considered an expert in her field. From beginners to advanced; she believes we each have the capacity to be inspired artist. Many people just need a safe and fun environment to explore their own creative limits. That is what she provides and shares, bringing joy to all those who attend her workshops. You can find Stephanie on her website at www.stephaniechavez.com

Cathy's artforms are a study in engineering as well as non-traditional design and fabrication. All classes reflect self developed techniques that allow students to create individualized unique work. She very much enjoys watching students create gallery quality work in a day! Cathy's artwork is displayed in galleries and private collections across the country as well as abroad. She is the author of HIDDEN IMAGES IN GLASS, a video describing her unique copper foil overlay soldering techniques STICKS AND STONES, which details open sided construction and SOLDERFIELDS, exploring stacked head glass. Cathy is Contributing Editor for PROFITABLE GLASS MAGAZINE, GLASS PATTERNS QUARTERLY and GLASS ART MAGAZINE.

Debbie has been involved with glass for 30 years, 20 of them owning and operating a custom stained, etched and fused glass studio in Las Vegas, NV. She moved to the beautiful Oregon coast to continue her quest for HOT glass. Debbie has won numerous awards and has been included in many art books, magazines and publications for her glass art. She has been teaching art over 30 years, including lampwork, fused, etched and blown glass, stoneware and raku clay, weaving canes and fibers, watercolors and pen and ink drawing. Her glass fish and blown seashells are collected world wide. She teaches private classes in all phases of art glass year round in her studio.

I grew up in Long Beach, California and was always drawn to art, music and nature throughout my early years. I earned my BFA in Fine Art Photography & subsequently followed an intensely strenuous career path in corporate F&B hospitality that left little time for a creative outlet, yet I still found valuable time to explore all different mediums of art throughout the past few decades. In 2014 I stumbled into the craft of stained glass, teaching myself through passionate determination and immediately became obsessed. In 2018, just before my 40th birthday, I left my successful career in corporate F&B hospitality to focus exclusively on Culotta Creations & prepare to fulfill a longtime goal to move away from Southern California. In 2019 my husband Nate & I found our dream home in the magical Pacific Northwest. I run a full time business out of my private workshop on our 3 acre property, focusing on commissions, wholesale & education/community activities. I work exclusively in the copper foil method & my design aesthetic is highly influenced by geometric & organic architecture, Art Deco, minimalism & mixed sacred geometry. In the rare moments I am not "working my dream job" I am spending time with my gang of furry children = 4 chickens, 2 dogs & 1 cat.

I am a former art teacher. I taught all grades from kinder-post graduate. I am an Ohio girl but moved to Florida about 10 years ago and I love the warm weather! About 9 years ago I discovered glass and I have never looked back. I love the colors and texture that it brings to my artwork.

John Ferrando is a husband and father of 5. In what spare time he has from his first love,(his family) he is an artist/instructor/studio owner working in kiln-formed glass. As a glass artist who has been fusing and working with the medium for 10 years +, John has spent countless hours exploring, experimenting, testing, and pushing the medium of glass to its limits. To see how far he can go in creating something unique and pleasing for the art enthusiast. His body of work would be best defined as creating a constantly evolving range of decorative glass design. "My art is a vehicle to connect with people. Through it, I want to trigger something inside of you, an emotion, a memory, in hopes to start a dialogue with you. I enjoy the competition of entering my glass art into juried exhibitions and gallery shows. I find it gratifying watching others enjoy, appreciate and experience my work.", says Ferrando. Johns current range is focused on sheets of glass and stringer strips made of glass, to produce both decorative and functional work, which has undulating decorative motif art effects. Based off of a 17th century textile technique. Previous positions and experience, " I recently held a County position for a non profit Art Studio, serving and collaborating with artists with various developmental disabilities. As an instructor and teacher in the studio, I taught multiple artists with developmental disabilities the art of creating with and working in fused glass. It brought me pleasure to spend years investing my time, talent and experience into those artists, empowering them to become the successful artists they are today." In addition to working, managing and teaching classes and workshops at his own studio, "Haute Fusion Glass Studio" in downtown Middletown,OH., John also holds the position as Fused Glass Instructor, at the Middletown Community Art Center. Teaching classes and workshops, sharing his love and passion for fused glass to the people in his community.

Kim is an award winning designer of finished jewelry and findings. She has been designing or making jewelry for most of her life. Her company Kim Fox Jewelry Design provides artisan designed and crafted clasps, cones and connectors. She has been addicted to kumihimo for about 7 years. From her love of kumihimo she has designed clasps, cones and connectors that are perfect for kumihimo designs. She has had her component and kumihimo designs appear in books and magazines. Kim's education includes diplomas from GIA in gemology and design as well as Jewelry Technology from Revere. Kim has been teaching adults skills for over 30 years. Kim loves to see her students feel great about what they create.

Sulie Girardi was born in Chicago, but has lived in Vienna, Austria, for the last 30 years. She owns and operates Vienna Impressions, Austria's largest source for rubber stamping and other crafting supplies. She has attained the Silver Metal Clay Diploma from the Mid Cornwall School of Jewelry, as well as the Art Clay 1, 2 and instructor certifications. Her work has been published in several publications in Europe and the US. Sulie teaches frequent classes in various techniques, both in her own studio and as a guest instructor at various events, such as Bead Fest Philadelphia, Bead and Button and "You Can Make it" (England) Her work has won gold, silver and bronze medals in the Fire Mountain Competition and she was selected as a finalist in the Metal Artistry Awards/Bead Dreams competition 2019. Sulie has recorded six video classes for "Craftcast":

Tony Glander has enjoyed teaching classes for the past 20+ years. He owned a glass art retail store in Gaithersburg MD for 11 years and hosted many nationally known glass teachers. For the past 16 years, he has been teaching stained glass, fused glass, etching and his favorite- Screen Printing on glass at his studio in the City of Gaithersburg Arts Barn and doing commission work from his home studio. He has written many articles on glass art and contemporary glass artists and presents on-line webinars through Glass Art magazine. He is presently the president of the American Glass Guild(americanglassguild.org).

Mike is a Florida native, graduated from Florida Southern College, and grew up around the ceramic glass business. His parents owned a distributorship for ceramic products and Jen-Ken Kilns. In 1991 Mike and his brother Randy purchased Jen-Ken Kilns and are involved in every aspect of kiln manufacturing, from R&D though final assembly. Both are artist and teach clay and glass at the their Fired Arts Academy at Factory in Lakeland, FL.

Patty's personal objective is to never stop learning, continue to experiment with glass and explore its possibilities without limiting herself to traditional methods. She was an art student in college working primarily in clay when introduced to glass blowing in 1973. She and her husband built their first glass blowing studio in 1975. She began working with fusing glass in the early 80's. There was not a lot of information available at that time, so she did a lot of experimenting. Patty and her husband produced architectural fused/cast glasswork for installations in major hotels, public buildings and private residences for over 12 years. During this time, she has had many opportunities to experiment and advance her creative ambitions with glass on personal projects. Her work is included in numerous private and public collections and has been shown in galleries and exhibitions.

Liz Haas lives in San Diego, Ca and is a teacher, trainer and show coordinator for Rayzist Photomask for the past 19 years. She has in-depth knowledge of photoresist film, sandcarving process and sandcarving equipment. For the past 15 years she has actively taught on the photoresist and the sandcarving process. In 2009, Liz started working with glass artists and incorporating the photoresist process into art glass. Several of her photoresist and sandcarving articles has been published in engraving magazines as well as articles showing specific techniques in sandcarving.

Micheal Harbridge got his start in the ceramic market at the age of seven and opened his first studio at the age of 18. He eventually expanded to two studios and a clay manufacturing company. After 15 years of running the company, he sold it all to go back to creating and teaching, his true passion. He's created a lot of exciting techniques combining his knowledge of glass and pottery. He teaches workshops around the country and in his home studio in central Wisconsin.

Bronwen Heilman is a full-time studio artist, flame-work glass instructor and the Director of the flameworking studio at Sonoran Glass School in Tucson, Arizona. She has taught all across the US as well as abroad. Her work has been exhibited and received awards in numerous juried exhibitions. She is a recipient of the International Glass Bead Society Presidents Award, first place in soft marble competition, and others. Her work is published in The Contemporary Shot Glass Book, 1000 Glass Beads, 500 Beaded Objects, Contemporary Lampworking, Glass Bead Masters, Bronwen Heilman: Vitreous Painting Techniques for Glass Beadmaking among others. Her most recent exhibition was “Lifeforms: The 2nd Rudolf and Leopold Blaschka Glass Biological Model Exhibition” in Corning, New York.

After a career as a scientist, Terry Henry answered her heart’s desire and turned to art full time. Terry’s unique style boldly embraces and celebrates science. She is best known for her electroforming work, combining real flowers, insects, and fossils with inorganic materials and her lampwork floral designs. Inspired by everything she sees, feels, and experiences, Terry brings disparate objects together to create pieces that are infused with distinctive energy. Her extensive teaching experience in both the fields of art and science ensures that her workshops are easy to understand and follow. You can contact Terry and read more about her at terry-henry-glassworks.com

An artist whose work embodies bold design and clear focus. She holds a B.A. in Painting and Printmaking from Herron School of Art. Her 25 years in Graphic Design has garnered critical acclaim as a Creative Director and Graphic Designer. Seven years ago she took a beginning fusing glass and fell in love. She opened Fire Fusion Studio and has been showing, selling and teaching glass classes at her studio in San Marcos Ca. and at Rayzist Photomask in Vista Ca. Her studio was featured in Decor and Style magazine and she was featured by San Diego Home and Garden Lifestyles magazine as one of San Diego's top 10 Artists in their "Stars" issue in 2012.

Mary Hong is an award-winning, successful artist and entrepreneur based on Florida's Emerald Coast. She is the founder and CEO of The Shard Shop, Mary Hong Gallery and ShardWorx Art Products. Having developed a devoted base of fans and followers, Mary opened her flagship art gallery in Grayton Beach in 2012, and The Shard Shop, a Make-Your-Own-Art Boutique, three years later. Mary continually participates in art shows and fundraisers, teaches art workshops to children and adults, mentors local artists, and spends as much time as possible with 15-year old twins. Mary’s development of a unique art form that combines paint and glass on canvas, or ShardWorx Art, is sold in high-end galleries and interior design showrooms world-wide. Her work has been featured in Atlanta Bridal, The Local Palette, The Chicago Tribune, Vie Magazine on the cover of Coastal Lifestyle magazine and was recently highlighted on Emeril’s Florida and HGTV House Hunters. John Richard, a high end home furniture and accessories company, began producing giclee prints of her work that are now sold to retailers around the world including Neiman Marcus and Horchow.

Merilou has been a practicing artist and teacher for over 40 years as well as a professional craftsman and jewelry designer. She has been the recipient of numerous awards at art shows and national competitions. Her work has been featured in professional catalogs, magazines and on the covers of national publications. She has a B.A. in Art, an M.A. in Art History and a Juris Doctorate. She has been a practicing attorney in the state of California as well as a lifetime credentialed secondary art teacher. She is heavily involved in teaching others how to create beautiful jewelry jewelry as well as continually improving her own craft. Her current emphasis is on creating intricate wire wrapped and wire weaving pieces of art to be worn as jewelry. She is also a master at creating fused glass pieces which are utilized in elegant and unique pieces of jewelry, many of which are encased in 14K gold fill and/or sterling wire. The constant theme of her work has always been attention to detail, good craftsmanship and dramatic, yet elegant, one-of-a-kind pieces of art. She has been an exhibiting artist at the Laguna Beach Art-A-Fair for the past 20 years and has taught wire wrapping aboard a Celebrity cruise ship to Alaska. Both novice and skilled wire workers will benefit from techniques learned in one of Merilou's classes.

“I have long thought that what makes me an artist isn’t what I make but how I see. Everywhere I look I see line, juxtaposition of colors and textures, contrast and composition, the world has infinite inspiration! My favorite thing is experiencing the unique expressions of other human minds. This journey to explore and push the limits of glass has been amazing! In over 25 years as an artist, I feel like we’ve just begun.”

Roy Kapp graduated from the University of Michigan with a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree. He has been a glass artist of over twenty five years and he has been working in fused glass for more than twenty years. Currently, Roy is the Director Of Curriculum for Delphi Glass along with managing the Creativity Center. He teaches as many as ten classes monthly across the various glass disciplines. He is the creator of Royal Art Glass a line of 90COE and 96COE metallic-looking fusible glass, Brush-A-Way Paper for mosaics and author of Mosaic Stepping Stones for Beginners book. His knowledge and expertise have heavily influenced Delphi's curriculum and product assortment.

Jackie Kaufman is originally from Swampscott, Mass. and now resides in the St. Petersburg, Florida area where she teaches her UV Resin technique in workshops in 4 different museums and art centers. She has been a professional jeweler for the past 20 years specializing in lost wax casting. She creates one of a kind custom jewelry from precious metals and ships worldwide. Her pieces have won numerous awards, are worn by celebrities and have been used on many TV shows. She has recently received a grant for a public art project and continues to excite her local community with her work. She was Secretary, then Vice-President of the Florida Society of Goldsmiths for 5 years. She is the founder of the group "The Mad Crafters" with over 200 members in Madeira Beach, Florida. Her love for color and uniqueness has inspired her to explore different resin techniques and she wants to share these techniques in her resin workshops. Here teaching style and unique esthetic always inspires her students to create wonderful and creative pieces.

Melanie is co-owner of Glasstronomy Studios in Markham, Ontario, Canada. In her role as education director, she is continuously developing and implementing a broad and innovative fused and stained glass program of courses and workshops. Melanie has been teaching in the art glass industry for over fifteen years and also creates glass art programs for the local high schools and art cooperatives. Glasstronomy Studios has undertaken exhibitions in public spaces including Markham Museum(The Glassed Over Project, Due North) and City Civic Centre (Reverence). Their work can be seen in residences and religious institutions around the world.

Jennifer Kuhns has been creating mosaic for since 2001. Working primarily with stained glass, carefully shaping each piece, she creates custom mosaic for private, corporate and public spaces all over the U.S., including sidewalk inlays, wall murals, window treatments and other architectural elements. Jennifer has honed methods of fabricating commissions in her rural studio that can be easily transported to another location for quick installation. The style and techniques in Jennifer's mosaic range from naturalistic and photorealistic to boldly colorful and stylized, but it is generally characterized by precision cutting of materials and careful placement resulting in smooth lines and strategic use of texture and reflectivity. Jennifer's goal is to create works of art that have function and integrity, and that convey a sense of serenity and optimism in otherwise utilitarian spaces.

Kent Lauer has been working with art glass for more than 42 years. What started as a fascination soon became a career. Kent learned to bevel early on, and was determined to find out everything he could about pushing the limits of beveled glass, and continues to this day to explore different aspects of cold worked art glass. His work has been seen worldwide, important homes, and in historic buildings. Living in Southern California has given Kent many chances to work on glass for movies, commercials,and celebrities. He has been teaching beveling and dichroic glass sculpture both at glass shows and privately for over 30 years.

I have have been making and teaching glass bead making for over 22 years. Recently I became obsessed with making beads that look just like stone. Mixing and blowing glass shards to create the glass "stones" is so much fun. I even found some cool ways to mimic agates with just regular old glass. The possibilities are endless. I then wanted to take those beads and wire wrap them to mimic a bamboo basketry style. I worked for over a month to develop this style of wire wrapping! Learning the new skill of wire wrapping has opened up so many ways of creating unique and beautiful work using glass beads.

After discovering modeling clay in the mid 80's I fell in love with the ability of self expression with this material and founded my company, Klew Expressions in 1988. I have taught around the country and internationally for more than 20 years and find great satisfaction in helping others find their expression thru this medium.

I began my love of glass over 25 years ago. It started with a regular stained glass class by local Flagstaff artist. From that point on I was hooked. I have explored and studied all aspects of glass and its versatility with many great masters of glass. Ranging from standard stained glass, fused glass, and hot glass, to precious metal clay, encaustic, mosaic, and mixed media I have worked to push the limits of what glass can do and how it can be displayed. My work has been in local and SW art exhibits, national publications, and collected across the US. Current works were inspired by the glass concepts of Marcel Duchamp (“The Large Glass”, ca. 1915) and mentor Yorgos Papadopoulos (“Art in the Garden”, 2015) where glass has been intentionally disrespected to produce remarkably complex and beautiful designs.

Margee Luper has been working with glass for over 15 years. She loves to share her knowledge with others and has found that she enjoys teaching others how to enjoy glass. She has done stain glass, leather working, metal clay, ceramics, enameling and other mediums. She loves to find simpler ways to create complex pieces of art. While she has taught both adults and children, it is the children that push her skills forward as they don't know the concept of limitations! She loves when a mistake ends up giving you a new technique and is always willing to share her knowledge.

James has been working with glass since 1996. At 16, he discovered flame working and began learning in his dad’s garage. At 18 he moved to Colorado to work at Diablo Glass. Since then he has worked independently under his business, I Blew It Glassworks, and his nickname, Hicdogg. Throughout his career James has received awards from shows and competitions. Some highlights include placing 1st and 3nd at the 2001 New Mexico State fair art show. He has placed 1st, 2nd, and 3rd in the Sonoran Glass flame-off. He has placed many times in the Champs Glass Games. James has received awards from Glass Vegas World Series of Glass including 2nd place for his collaborative work “Koyaanisqatsi” with Windstar Glass. More recently, James and Windstar were awarded 3rd place in the 2022 DFO. He has taught workshops and classes in private and public studios. He also regularly performs live demos at public studios and events. When asked why he chose glass James says, “I knew I wanted to be artistic as a kid and I was terrible at most art forms. When I found glassblowing, I was terrible at that too but l had so much love for melting glass that it drove me to stick with it long enough to get good at it. I believe glass is one of the most important substances humans have worked with. Everything in our modern lives is possible in part with the help of glass. It is an amazing material and important to humanity. I am stoked that I get to make art out of it.” James currently lives in Phoenix Arizona where he works from a home studio. You can find his work under @hicdogg on Instagram.

I began my exploration of the glass arts in Eugene Oregon during the summer of 1996. Rapidly I became enthralled and passionate about melting different types of glass into many sculpted formations.. I have predominantly been a borosilicate lampwork artist, though I have experimented with many other forms of glass art through the years. I spent over a decade of traveling and selling my artwork at art and craft festivals & events. During this time I also developed many positive relationships selling wholesale to galleries. After moving to Idaho I discovered yet another passion for glass through teaching glassblowing classes in my public studio. Ever since 2011 I have enjoyed instructing students of just about all ages in torchworked sculpting & marbles, furnace blown glass. For 13 years I also gave fused glass lessons at my kids' schools for yearly donations. I still strive to learn new techniques and experiment in new directions daily because of this 26 year passsion. Since I feel I will continue to learn as long as I work with glass, I will always love to share my love of the artform through teaching others. My recent body of work has been heavily focused on developing new styles and techniques in marble form. I have recently been exploring the idea of using blown glass patterns and techniques and sleeving over solid cores, creating solid spheres with extremely challenging designs.

Joshua Mazet received his BFA in Ceramics from the University of Oregon in 1999. After graduating he was invited into the Fine Arts Department as a resident artist. For three years he held a studio at the U of O, instructing 25 students and community members year round in the art of wood fired ceramics. It was during this time that Joshua was introduced to lamp working. With his degree in ceramics behind him, Josh had a natural understanding and comfort with flame atmospheres, kilns and the chemistry of glass. This compounded with similarities of the materials, allowed for smooth and rapid learning of the new medium.

Melissa runs Misoda Glass Studio with her husband, Andy, in West Seattle. During her days she teaches glassblowing at Sammamish High School in Bellevue, Wa. where she started the program in 1999. She absolutely loves that she is able to pass this amazing art form onto younger generations! “It is so important to give kids skill-based art options, especially for those who do not feel like they are ‘good at art’. It helps build self-confidence, team working and communication skills, and critical problem solving!” Melissa received her BFA from Tyler School of Art in Philadelphia, and her MFA from Alfred University in New York. She has shown her work in galleries and museums across the nation and has been published in several publications. Please see her website for more in depth information!

Anne started her creative career over 25 years ago as a professional lighting designer. Looking for another outlet for her artistic energies, Anne began teaching chain making and metal working approximately 14 years ago for just pure enjoyment. During those years, Anne found that the creative outlet provided by teaching as well as a consistent demand for her classes was too alluring to deny. Leaving lighting behind in 2003, Anne is now a full-time designer, teacher and author.

Joy graduated from San Jose State University with a degree in Design with an emphasis in Ceramic Studio Practices. After college, she lived in Germany for a few years, explored most of central Europe, and then returned to graduate studies at California State University Fresno for Sculpture & Bronze Casting. She has since spent the last 20 years as a professional sculptor specializing in cast bronze, ceramic sculpture, etched monument work and now flame-worked glass. Joy spent most of her twenties as a professional sculptor selling her bronze wildlife sculptures nationwide through The Nature Company, Natural Wonders, Nature Crafts and the Bronx Zoo, NY. For more than 20 years Joy also worked in the construction and interior design industry specializing in tile and stone and residential kitchen and bathroom remodels. In 2011 Joy took her first flameworking class and was hooked! Since that first class, Joy has devoted all of her time and energy to her glass creations and teaching her techniques around the world. Joy’s class and show schedule can be viewed on her website: www.JoyMunshower.com and her work can be bought online through her shop: www.JoyMunshowerGlass.com

In 2009 John returned to his native roots in Greenville, SC and continued an artistic legacy. Both his father and grandfather, before him, were stone artisans and today their works can still be found in the Carolinas and Southeast. A self taught glass artist, John's keen approach is geared toward his creative cutting techniques. From crafted warm glass chessboards and pictorial designs the process is his ultimate focus. During the year he can be found teaching at various museums, schools, and arts centers throughout the Carolinas as well as nationally. When not on the road John returns to his studio, Kakilaki StudioArts, which he shares with his wife, Karoline O'Rourke in dazzling Greenville, South Carolina.

Lisa Pavelka, a Colorado native who now resides in Las Vegas, is an award winning artist, designer and author. Although she is well versed in several mediums, she is best known for her polymer clay expertise. Having worked with the medium professionally since 1989, she has focused her creative energies in taking polymer clay in new directions; especially in the areas of mixed media applications. As a polymer clay pioneer, Lisa has tackled everything from jewelry making and home décor to scrapbooking and altered arts to name a few. She has shown the crafting world there is almost nothing that can’t be done with polymer clay, whether it’s coming up with new techniques or covering the back of a van. Lisa is author of several books including the award winning best seller: Polymer Clay Extravaganza (North Light Books).

Janice Peacock has been making one-of-a-kind beads and jewelry since 1992. She also creates large-scale sand-cast glass sculptures. Her work has been exhibited internationally, featured in many publications, and is in the permanent collections of the Corning Museum of Glass and the Museum of Glass in Tacoma, WA. Janice is also the author of the Glass Bead Mystery Series, including High Strung, A Bead in the Hand, and Off the Beadin' Path, which have been Amazon bestsellers. She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband, two cats, and an enormous white dog. She has a studio full of beads…lots and lots of beads.

Kieu Pham Gray has been creating jewelry for more than 25 years. She started from the need to “look the part” while working in retail management for Neiman Marcus. In making jewelry for herself and friends, Kieu's jewelry line was created. Since then she has sold to over 30 stores in 10 states and participated in numerous juried art shows. Today, Kieu and her husband Andy own and operate TheUrbanBeader.com, where they work to provide the industry with specialty supplies and tools. Most recently she co-founded EverCrafting.com a social media site for serial crafters. Through these businesses and teaching around the world, her passion, knowledge, and dedication for the jewelry industry becomes apparent. In an effort to share her passion and knowledge for the jewelry industry, Kieu teaches a wide range of classes throughout the US and has also authored a how to book (Hot & Cold Jewelry Connections) in 2014. Detailed instruction and personal attention has been the key to success with her students.

Alysa is a third generation glass artist with 30 years of experience, being taught by her grandparents, long-time glass artists who owned their own studio for 12 years. She then owned and operated Creations in Glass with her mother for 10 years. Alysa taught beginning to advanced classes to hundreds of students over the the eight years she was the Director of the Warm Shop at Sonoran Glass School in Tucson, AZ. In 2017, she opened her own studio, Wild Desert Glass, where she offers lessons and classes and continues to create custom projects. She teaches a wide range of classes in fused glass, stained glass, and mosaics, and is constantly experimenting with new techniques and materials. Her creativity and range of knowledge makes her a fantastic instructor for students looking to create any type of glass art. She is constantly helping her students challenge themselves and expand their skills as artists. Alysa's work is found in private collections all over the country and ranges from fused functional pieces and wall art to mosaic furniture and fountains. In addition, numerous commissioned stained glass windows are installed in homes and churches all around Tucson. Alysa has been a regular contributor of project tutorials to Glass Patterns Quarterly magazine since 2011, and a long-time instructor at Glass Craft & Bead Expo.

Tamara Phillips-Kingery has been creating stained glass in the traditional Tiffany style for over 10 years. She received her bachelor's degree in Business from The University of New Mexico in 2013. In 2015 she returned to UNM as a master's student studying both business and art. Tamara has always had a deep passion for the arts in all forms and glass in particular. She has been participating in art shows around New Mexico, Colorado, and Nevada showing and selling her work since 2009. She became an award winning, published artist in 2018 for her original snowflake designs, and now looks forward to sharing her creativity and experience with others.

Joe Porcelli has been a professional glass artist and craftsperson since 1979. He is the former publisher of Glass Craftsman Magazine, a post he held from 1993 through 2011. He is also the producer and publisher of the GCTV line of glass instructional videos, the most comprehensive catalog of instructional videos in the glass industry. His two books The Lamp Making Handbook, Published by The Glass Press, and Stained Glass, Jewels of Light, published by Barnes & Noble have been in publication since 1992 and 1999 respectively. Joe is a veteran glass writer and instructor and is featured in a number of best selling instructional glass DVDs. He is currently a full time glass artist, whose original lamps and bronze bases are sought after by collectors and dealers and have fetched record prices for contemporary leaded glass at various glass and decorative arts auctions.

I’m an Arizona based artist, I discovered the art of glass in 2007. It was love at first cut! I have explored many aspects of fused glass and mosaic art. I enjoy developing new ideas and techniques, and putting a new spin on an old idea – like looking at a painting and wonder what it would look like made of glass. You can find me teaching glass classes locally or in the studio most days. My art has been featured in galleries and local papers.

Amy Schmidt is a co-owner of Salt City Smithery in Salt Lake City, Utah. Shas been creating jewelry since the early 1990s. She’s been a maker her whole life, starting out sewing with her mom and grandmother as a young child. She has had a career in the fashion industry since graduating college but has felt the pull towards working with metal since taking her first jewelry fabrication class at Kean University in New Jersey. Originally from New York, she was able to take advantage of the plentiful metalsmithing classes in the area. After moving to Utah in 2007 and finding a scarcity in such workshops, she opened her own studio in 2013 and has been teaching metalsmithing classes ever since. Amy’s favorite aspect of teaching is seeing the emergence and growth in students’ confidence, honing the development of their design skills, and working together to trouble shoot and problem solve. Her entry in the 2020 Utah Design Craft Artists’ competition, “A Ring for a New Now” won first place and is now in the permanent collection of the Brigham City Museum of Art and History in Utah.

The unexpected swirls that are revealed in a glazed vessel or the halos from the chemical reaction that occur between touching glass, are all part of the mystery of the firing chamber. The transformation of materials and surfaces, by heat, fascinates me. It is the process of controlled temperature and time in which colors emerge, glass elongates and clay bodies harden. The possibilities are limitless and ever changing with each kiln load, yet not to been seen until it is cool enough to open. For the past 20 years my area of concentration, as an artist, has been creating kiln fired art. Sharing and teaching my process is also a thrill. Throughout the year I can be found facilitating collaborative art projects and teaching at various museums, schools, and arts centers in the Carolinas and nationally. Kakilaki StudioArts in dazzling Greenville, SC., is my studio home which I share with my better half and art partner John O Rourke.

Senior editor, writer and publisher of the online ezine Metal Clay Today. Her passion for metal clay was born in 2007 during a visit to the Las Vegas Glass and Bead Show. Wanting to know more about this remarkable medium, she searched all the available magazines for articles and tutorials about metal clay. The search being less than helpful, Metal Clay Today was born out of the desire to have a resource devoted to metal clay enthusiasts. Currently Metal Clay Today has subscribers in over 100 countries. This journey has led her to learn and develop the tools needed for an online business. This session is for any artist entrepreneur who would like to establish their online presence. Topics covered range from creating a website, using social media, to getting paid for your art.

Mike Simms had his first experience working with glass in 2017. In 2018 he made the decision to quit his job and pursue glass full time. He met Suellen Fowler while taking her class at Glass Craft Bead Expo in 2018. A short time after he began working as her TA at GCBE and Glass Stock. He has also represented Suellen and her work at Glass Vegas. Mike also works for Deb Crowley, starting at GCBE in 2019 as a TA. He now travels regularly to GlassStock in Oregon to TA, teach, and do tech work. Mike currently works in a private home studio in Arizona that allows him to tend to his free-range goat ranch.

I grew up in a suburb of Detroit, Michigan, received a B.S. in forestry and then a Ph.D. in genetics, and taught Biology at SOU in Ashland, Oregon, USA. I recently retired from the University, so I have more time to teach others my ways in workshops. Teaching is still one of my passions, and I like to share my approach to achieving a sense of depth in native scenes from paintings or photos. Paintings by Van Gogh, Renoir and Monet have informed and inspired me. They, and my habit of mosaicking according to my intuition - rather than intentionally bending or breaking stylistic or aesthetic rules that were developed by practitioners of old - have contributed to my success.

I bought my first kiln in 2006. It was a Skutt 1414, it was HUGE, I was totally intimidated. After using it as a coffee table for 6 months I finally got the courage to set it up and learn to fuse. I experimented and had more failed attempts then successes, thats when I found the Glass and Bead Expo. I took every class I could for 4 days and came home more confident. That was 10 years ago and although I still love to experiment I now have more successes then failures.

Since 1988, it has been my goal to create beautiful works of art that impact and inspire. My work has evolved over these many years and the different mediums I have mastered have lent themselves to being able to create interior and exterior art for personal, public and commercial use. I started my artistic endeavors with Gyotaku, then proceeded to learn and create with Encaustic, Metal Design, and then the fascinating art of Cast and Fused Glass. For the last twenty years, I've been working primarily with float glass. The world of float glass is exciting but has been wildly unknown on how to use it successfully. I continually push the envelope and come up with new and innovative ideas. There are so many reactions, layering and striking combinations the possibilities are endless. These techniques have given me the opportunity to create original works for communities both locally and globally. I have a motto with my customers; if we can think it, we can make it. I am inspired daily by the nature of our world around us, the splendor of our oceans, wildlife, and ancient history. These ideas meld into much of my work in an elegance that is suggestive and organic. It is my greatest joy to create relative, meaningful and inspiring works of art.

Carrie Strope is a native of Lincoln, Nebraska. She spent 10 years in Napa, California where she learned the art of glass while working in two different glass studios (both hot and cold) before returning home and starting a fused glass program at a local nonprofit arts education center and consulting for and teaching at Lincoln's premier fused glass and glass class studio. When Carrie's not firing it up in the glass studio, she's learning everything she can about techniques and trends in glass. As enthusiastic about sharing her knowledge as she is about expanding her own talents, Carrie travels internationally to demonstrate and teach various glass techniques, specializing in mosaic and fused or kiln-formed glass. She enjoys merging techniques and sharing her love of glass with both children and adults. Carrie is on the Nebraska Arts Council roster of teaching artists with a goal of promoting glass art in k-12 education.

Vogelpohl, born in Prague, Czech Republic, fled to America in 1987. He grew up in Boise Idaho, taking art classes in Jr. High and High School. After graduating High School, Vogelpohl visited Eugene Oregon, where his instant attraction to glassblowing sparked. In 1997 Vogelpohl began flameworking in his garage. The first two years involved much torch time and guidance from Robert Mickelson, Kevin O'Grady and Casare Toffolo. A portion of Filip's work revolves around spheres; exquisitely large ones. Vogelpohl is known for his unique vortex marbles. He was the first to create a five inch borosilicate vortex marble. Sculptural and functional glass also plays a big role in Vogelpohl's lampworking career. Vogelpohl's art is displayed in many boutiques and galleries throughout the United States, Japan and in his own gallery in Boise ID, Boise Art Glass.

Jennifer is a glass fusing artist and instructor who works out of her home studio in Tucson, Arizona. She first walked into a glass shop in 1993 and started making mosaic projects with a few basic tools and glass from the scrap bin. While building a successful business as a faux painting contractor she continued taking classes in stained and fused glass. This was a great way for her to relax and keep her creative mind engaged. In 2011, she retired her paint brushes and has focused solely on fused glass. For the past twelve years, Jennifer has had the opportunity to learn from and assist numerous glass artists who mentored her and helped shape her into the artist she is today. Jennifer's designs are strongly influenced by geometry, requiring precision with measurements and cuts. Professional training as a color consultant has equipped her to bring competent color balance to her glass projects as well as her students' projects. Jennifer is passionate about art and considers herself fortunate to travel North America sharing her knowledge of glass.

Betty has been involved in the glass industry for over 40 years. Initially working with Stained Glass, she found Fused Glass over 20 years ago. After retiring from her Corporate job, she now has more time to devote to teaching as well as creating her own work. Her style spans from Funky to Functional while she interprets the world around her into glass. Jamie Kuykendall, Betty’s daughter, is also a glass artist and will assist with instruction at GCBE.

In 2006 I saw on TV someone melting glass with a torch. I wanted to play with fire. I took one class, and I was hooked. I have been in several magazines, on TV and in many newspapers. I have been all over the US taking classes and even Italy. I have taught several classes and enjoy meeting new people. I love to share my knowledge of glass and play with fire.

Wesley Wong is an award-winning artist who designs and produces custom glass art from his studio in San Jose, California. His passion for glass started in 1981 with stained glass, which eventually lead him into mosaics and fused glass. His work features lots of bright colors and intricate patterns and has been exhibited in many juried glass and mosaic shows throughout the United States. Wesley enjoys sharing his glass knowledge with other artists and teaches glass workshops throughout the country and in Australia. He is a member of the Society of American Mosaic Artists (SAMA), and has written many articles for Glass Patterns Quarterly.