In my spare time, I create beads and small glass pieces with a torch and kiln, while I work full-time as a chemist. My studio space is where art and science come together for me.

Soda-lime glass is my preferred medium. The lower melting point and fluidity of the glass force me to focus entirely on what I’m creating at that moment. The dynamic nature of molten glass often requires hasty decisions and leads to unexpected results, which I find both fascinating and educational. Much of my work is an exploration of the many reactions between different colors of glass containing copper, lead, or sulfate.

Although I work with a variety of colors and styles, I tend to gravitate to blues, greens, and earth tones as they have a grounding effect on me. After 17 years of melting glass, it is usually still the most basic things in nature – trees, rocks, rivers, mountains – that inspire me and guide my creative process.