Meet Amy Brooks, Glass Artist

How did you get started in art?  Glass?  I dabbled in art through school but didn't get serious about it until I moved to Metuchen from Delaware in 2000.  I took a class at a glass shop in Somerville as a way to meet people and maintain my sanity as a stay-at-home mom.  From the beginning, it was love at first score (that's what it's called when you begin to cut the glass).  I was excited to create and to have the satisfaction of bringing an idea to life; so much more rewarding than the endless cycle of changing diapers.

Where/with whom have you studies?  There's an annual conference for glass artists in Las Vegas and I convinced my husband to let me go, twice.  It was such an awakening.  There are a lot of great glass artists out there-- one of my favorites is Peter McGrain and I took a few classes from him.  I also recently took a class in Millville, NJ with a NJ guy named J. Kenneth Leap.  He paints on glass and is a true master of this art.

Do you work in other mediums?  I have recently gotten into something called PMC-- precious metal clay.  It is a soft clay that, when fired at 1500 degrees, becomes 99.9% silver.  It can be worked on its own or combined with glass.  Of course, I am combining!  Other than that, I do a lot of painting and drawing prior to starting a piece.  Sometimes that seems like the longest part of the process because I'm itching to get constructing!

What inspires you? This sounds corny but it's true, I really love light!  Sometimes when I see sunlight on something, I get a little lost.  I love the way it falls on solid objects and passes thru others that are less dense.  With glass, I'm always working on the placement of more opaque pieces next to ones that are more transparent.  I'm also nuts about textures!

What do your pieces become?  I started with traditional stained glass and I still love that.  I make a lot of leaded windows that hang either completely covering an opening or as a decorative section of a window.  I love to combine traditional stained glass with fused elements (which I make first in my kiln) because I can get a lot more detail.  I also like to paint pieces before I put them together so I can have very fine lines and imagery

I have a fascination with nuns and do a lot of semi-comical (I think entirely comical) creations with them-- they have become belt buckles, necklaces, make up compacts, and little figures.

I have my own kiln and in it I make bowls, vases, plates, sushi dishes, etc. 

Do you install the pieces, like the windows, yourself?  Most of the time, I convince my husband to help me.  If it's an especially big piece or requires special equipment to get it into place, I hire an installer.  But we do 95% of all installations together-- imagine the marital bliss!

What is the price range of your work?  I have sold pieces ranging from $8 to $2000.  There's a glass item for every price range!

Where can folks see your work?  I am currently showing work at What's the Scoop.  I am working with the owner to create a limited edition series of bowls that will be sold during JuneBug-- ice cream and art, my fav combination!  I also will be hanging larger, more architectural pieces at the Century 21 office on the corner of Main and Highland. 

How can people contact you if they are interested in commissioned work? I have a website, www.paradisecsg.com or they can call me at (732) 762-0060.

You've taught classes before, is there a chance you'll do it again? I taught a glass mosaic course at the Y this past fall and participants made beautiful, one of a kind pieces.  They also created a glass tile that I took home and fused in my kiln.  I'm going to be exhibiting and teaching at the Westerhoff School this summer (dates to be announced).  I am still working out what the topic will be but probably either painting or fusing or a combination.