BOMH STUDIO TOUR WITH BARB BYRNE GLASS ARTIST

This year the Best of Missouri Hands (BOMH) has focused on Virtual Studio Tours with our artists as part of our Professional Development Workshop Series. This month we are treated to a virtual tour by juried BOMH glass artist and BOMH President, Barb Byrne from the Kansas City area. Artists statement: I began my journey into fused glass in 2009 when I took a class at a local community center and fell in love with the medium. I am always excited to see what happens when I place a piece in the kiln and the heat melts the glass into something new and wonderful. Meet Our Tour Guide: Barb Byrne I work primarily with fine glass powder, which I layer in stages onto clear sheet glass. I fire each piece after I apply a new layer of powder, so some of my pieces are fired anywhere from 4 – 12 times or more before I achieve my desired result. Working with glass is often a time-consuming process, but I love watching my subjects slowly emerge as I take each step toward the final creation. Living on a large tract of acreage in the beautiful mid-Missouri countryside for many years deepened my connection to animals and nature. This connection blossomed into a love of creating animal portraits, wildlife pieces, and landscapes using the powders. I also create abstract glass art and pieces using enamels on glass. Working with glass powder, however, continues to be my passion and my main focus as I develop my body of work. As all glass artists will tell you, sometimes a piece doesn’t make it. However, the broken chards have a future, too. Some of my best abstracts are from “failures”. But when hours of being bent over a work-in-progress finally comes together, it’s automatically my new favorite piece ever made! And I can’t wait to see it find a loving home and be enjoyed for decades to come. I am a juried member of Summit Art in Lee’s Summit, MO and I am a juried member and the current President of The Best of Missouri Hands. Website: www.barbbyrneglass.com BOMH Page: https://bestofmissourihands.org/barbb... Facebook:   / barbbyrneglass   To learn more about being a part of the Missouri Artisans Association / Best of Missouri Hands (BOMH) please visit.... www.bestofmissourihands.org The Best of Missouri Hands is a statewide resource for connecting, educating, and inspiring Missouri Artists and Artisans. Thank you to the continued support of the following agencies...Missouri Arts Council, (MAC), Missouri Association of Community Arts Agencies (MACAA), and the Volunteer Lawyers and Accountants for Artists (VLAA).