From childhood, my earliest memories are of the sunlight that streamed in from the windows in my room...
 I remember my feeling of wonder and amazement from watching the colors change and shift as the light passed through some objects, and reflected off of others. Sunbeams that broke up into soft rainbows, while others created shadows and shades that changed the hues of the objects in their path.
To me, light is a vibrant, almost living, thing in itself. Over 25 years of professional artistic work, I have tried to explore every media that would allow me to be able to capture this simplest, yet most complex, living essence the way I perceive it. From brightly hued acrylic painting, to computer graphic arts, to manually melting and forming hot glass, I have attempted to encapsulate and project my innate sense of the vibrancy in 'living' light, the spirit of all natural things.
I also want my art to uplift. My explorations are not of the depth of the human psyche, but the very simplest state of our being, before any angst appeared. When we peel back the layers of subconscious memory, the earliest possible imprint any human can have is the safety and comfort of the womb, where warm light was the first connection, the first contact, with the brand new outside world.
 Using simple forms that a child might appreciate, natural, organic, real but a bit surreal and always colorful, my goal is to make people smile when they see any of my artwork. I believe art is a way to perceive things, and the simplest emotions, joy and delight, are the best emotions of all.
Borosilicate Glass allows a fuller expression of my direction than any other media I have yet found. I want everyone who looks at my creations to feel as I did when I looked up and fell in love with the rainbows shifting on the walls of my room. I hope my art can make you smile too.
I personally make each piece of my glass works by hand out of my small studio in Orlando, Florida.
Thanks for stopping by!
Helen Starkweather |
Gallery Links:
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Latest News!
2012- I have been very behind on keeping up with news here, so here's an update! The last few months, instead of focusing on glass, I've been exploring a new passion... rocks. I've always been a creative person, and inspired by nature. Over the last few months, I took a much closer look at what NATURE has created! I started a small rock blog, which will take time to add to, but you might enjoy it too, CLICK HERE for MY ROCK BLOG
2012 May - Orlando Mini Maker Faire
I took part in the first Orlando Mini Maker Faire, and wow! What a fantastic success! It is far beyond an art show, encompassing such a range of fantastic exhibits, I can't even describe them all! They say that the annual Maker Faire in NYC is a gigantic event that is participated in Worldwide, and Orlando got a GREAT start on catching up with our first Mini Maker Faire here. My son, Liam,made an exhibit of a 'strand beast' that landed him in the local paper too! What an exciting event, and I totally look forward to next year!
2012 - If you are local in Orlando, please check out the Orlando Museum of Art!
It is a really wonderful museum, with frequently changing exhibits, and a great place to commune with your own inner muse. You can also see in person a selection of my pendant work at the Gift Shop inside.
2011 - Oct - Just put up my page for Handblown Glass Ornament Pendants! For Sale!! Click Here.
Got a new GTT Scorpion torch, still working on perfecting vessels.
Jan 2010 - My torch is currently at GTT for cleaning, so I haven't been working much glass lately:).
I just saw the link from Bead and Button for my Entry Skipping Stones from the Bead Dreams 2009 competition. Neat!!
See: Bead & Button Magazine Entry
Dec 2009 - The Flow Magazine published my article in the Winter Issue (Women in Glass 2009). They also put it online in the Articles section of their website at: The Flow Magazine
October 2009 - Attended the ISGB Gathering in Miami this year... what a BLAST!!! Right afterwards took a private 3 person class with Robert Mickelsen-what a world class talented glassmaker he is!!
Photos on my Facebook of both, email me for a link if you want to see.
July 2009 - WHOOOT!! I won Ed Hoy's Glass Challenge!! Ed Hoy's one of the largest glass suppliers in the US, and my prize was $250 worth of glass/supplies! That beats a trophy anyday!
See the contest at:
www.glasschallenge.com
See: My winning piece
July 2009 - My pieces, "Skipping Stones" was included in the 2009 Bead and Button Exhibit in Milwaukee, Wi. as a top 10 finalist for the Bead Dreams 2009 Competition. They will be posting the 2009 Bead Dreams Gallery in August 2009.
Here is the Show info at Bead and Button Magazine
July 2-12, 2009
Thanks so much to Sara Sally LeGrande (2nd place winner) for taking my exhibit photo since I couldn't attend!! Click to see Sara's photo of my entry.
June 2009 - I designed my first postcard for the 2009 ISGB Miami Gathering Postcard Project, and also designed the Florida Glass Dragon's Postcard as well.
See: My Postcard
See: FGD Postcard
(I am the website Administrator for the Florida Glass Dragons at: www.floridaglassdragons.com
May 2009 - The Annealer Magazine Contest - 2 of my pieces were selected to be in the top 10 finalists for the Annealer Magazine Contest (in different categories). I'm busy working on tutorials now for those 2 pieces, which will appear in an upcoming issue!!
Glass Olympics Challenge
- I won first place in the Silver Category!! This is Mary Lockwood's website (see link above). YAY! I get a gift certificate from Arrow Springs (I can always use more glass/tools!!).
April 2009 - Bead and Button's 2009 Bead Dreams Contest!!
I am THRILLED!! I have been notified by letter that I was juried into this year's exhibit! This is such an honor!!
I'm not sure if that means I already made it into the top 10, or there's another judging, but my pieces have been shipped to Bead and Button Magazine as they requested, and will be exhibited at the 2009 Bead and Button Show!!
Mar 2009 - Jan/Feb Glass Challenge
YAY! I won 2nd place in the Hobbyist Category of the!! Karen Leonardo was the sponsor, and I won some of her WONDERFUL tools!!
ValCox Frit - selected me to be one of the frit testers for her 104 COE frit. While I'm mostly a boro worker, Valerie wanted to see what a boro person would do with soft glass frit. I will post the results!
Feb 2009 -www.isgb.org
This year, for the Miami Gathering, the ISGB is starting a new bead release program with " Golden Tickets" - free entries for the Bead Bazaar that is held on Sunday!
I will be the bead coordinator this year for this ISGB program. If you have not gotten your ISGB Registration Booklet yet, it is available online at:
ISGB Booklet - click to see the Bead Release info, the Release a Bead program is explained on page 4. I hope you all participate to make this the best ISGB Gathering of all!
Archived News
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