Heather Richman

I grew up in Riverside, California where my earliest art influence was painting with my mother in her studio. For as long as I can remember, I have expressed myself through artwork. After many years of experimenting with various media, I have discovered that glass best expresses my personal vision at this time. I love the qualities of glass. Hard, sharp glass is cut, ground and fired to become smooth and inviting to touch. Solid glass rods become molten and can be stretched, manipulated, shaped, layered, mixed and reshaped to form specialty decorations for fusing, or beads for jewelry. Crushed glass can be heated to create glass lace with large or small holes throughout. Inclusions of metal and organic material can create interesting and surprising results. Glass reflects and shines, but it can also be transparent and layered. There are many techniques that can bring out various qualities of the medium. My creations focus on the qualities of color, line and texture. Illusions of movement, depth, and luminosity are common to my pieces. My work is about seeing, experiencing, and imagining.