“Using glass as my muse allows me to play with light, texture, and color in a unique way. Taking a design from a sketch on a page to a completed window requires aesthetic and technical experience as well as artistic imagination. It is my privilege and challenge to work in these realms to create a final piece that expresses the idea that danced around in my mind before I selected it for work. Currently I have several concepts that are calling my attention, including movement, female empowerment, and simple yet elegant design.”
About Colleen
Colleen Clifford learned the art of stained glass during a section of a high school Art Metal class in Madison, WI. The craft inspired her, leading to the purchase of the equipment needed to make glass pieces from her home basement, dorm rooms, and college rentals for years to come. One summer was spent vending small window hangings, boxes, picture frames, and kaleidoscopes on State Street in Madison.
Colleen graduated from Humboldt State University in 2002 with an Art Studio major with an emphasis on jewelry and fine metalsmithing and an Appropriate Technology minor.
Her glass skills were brought to the forefront again while manufacturing luxury stained glass lighting fixtures for 13 years at Lamps By Hilliard in Arcata, CA.
Currently, Colleen enjoys making art in her home studio in Manila, CA.
Her work may be found at the Trinidad Art Gallery in the quaint, seaside village of Trinidad, CA.
In Her Words...
“Glass is a fragile yet sensuous material, and I enjoy making art that can play off these elements. Designing a piece takes the creativity, concentration, and dedication that any art medium demands, and I am both challenged and inspired during this process. When the piece moves to the construction phase, I love to feel the creative force of art bonding with the traditional, mechanical craft of stained glass production. I strive to balance a piece with pleasing composition, color, and texture.”
