name: Ken Knodell, Mystic Glass
media: Fused Glass & Stained Glass Windows
more: email Ken

I have been working with glass as a hobby for over 35 years now. I started out making stained glass windows after going to an Art in the Park and looking at the windows and lamp shades the artists there had made and being amazed at the different colors and how those colors look as the sun shone through them, I decided I would try making a window myself so I went out bought a book and some glass supplies and made my first window. I was hooked after that and haven’t been able to stop since then. I have no formal education in art and learned from reading books, talking to other glass artists and going to lectures with demonstrations and most of all imagining the different designs, shapes and color combinations I could create. I still make stained glass windows and for the last 10 years I have been working with fusing glass after my wife Yvonne took a fusing class and told me about the basics of fusing. I realized then I could add a new dimension to my windows by incorporating fused pieces into my windows and also try new and more 3 dimensional pieces of glass making, such as plates, candle holders, glass blocks, bowls and any number of other possibilities that can be thought of.

I really like working with all the different colors and combining them with each other and I like to try different designs and shapes, the most intriguing part of the whole process of fusing though is to see how the piece you make actually turns out because, the way you think a piece is going to look after fusing may actually turn out completely different than what you envisioned it to look like.

I do various sizes and shapes of plates, candleholders, pendants, earrings and glass blocks; all of the glass I use is fusible sheet glass and frit and is made by Bullseye Glass in Portland OR. And for my windows I use all types of art glass depending on the design of the window and the sizes range form small to as big as 4ft X 6ft.

The most important thing to me is to always have fun making different pieces of glass art that myself and other people can enjoy and treasure having.