sequatchie valley institute

ARTISTS’ STATEMENT

There is an inherent beauty in glass – its infinite combinations of color, texture, and luminescence grant it endless possibilities. We have worked with many media, but glass has proven to be the most gratifying.
We are enamored by glass. It is a liquid: fluid, though seemingly solid. It changes with time, but so slowly our eyes cannot see it happening – unless we manipulate it with heat. What a wonderful sensation it is to watch hot glass follow gravity’s lead.

How amazing it is to cut glass, grind it into the most
unsuspecting shapes and, finally, bring them all together toward a unified work of art. Art allows us to express ourselves in a way no other activity can match.

TECHNIQUE

The Ironwoods select pieces of stained glass to measure, cut, grind, sand and drill as covers for their books. Using purchased tree-free paper, the books are coptic-bound with sail twine and decorated with copper and sterling wire and lampworked glass beads. Lampworked beads, marbles, lamp pulls and drawer knobs are handmade with italian glass. With the beads, Ashley uses traditional and innovative methods of chainwork to create jewelry.

MORE ABOUT THE TEAM

We have been working with stained glass since 1995, lampworking since 1996 and assembling glass books since 2000. We have received commissions for jewelry and stained glass and have participated in crafts shows in Tennessee and Colorado.

We sell our work at the Chattanooga Market and Art till Dark in Tennessee and are looking forward to continuing to fulfill our dreams of “art as income.”