Gorgeous Glass

by JOAM

Columbus, Ohio

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Jo Anne Marie Bashore ~ stained glass boxes

As a child, I remember my mother painting this lovely oriental picture that believe it or not, she copied from a plastic curtain that hung in her bedroom. Yes, I said plastic! 

The thing I most remember is that even in the early process, you could tell the beauty of line and elegance that must have gone into the original that my mother was duplicating.  I was so awed that my mother could produce such a lovely copy because I had never even realized she could draw.  So this was the start of my interest in art.  I was probably about 11 or 12 at this time and started trying my own hand at painting.  Sometimes it would be my own original work, other times, just a pretty picture I would see. 

 For years I just played with it, never taking it seriously.  I would go from interest to interest, a voracious reader I also loved to write.  I even sold some of my poetry and was published.  It was not until I had started my family that the world of art once again called to me.  I started going to college and taking art classes and art history.  Oils, and pastels, water colors anything that I could do that would fill that void that called to me.   Years would pass, I would play with my art off an on, but raising a family and their activities took hold of my time and energy.  It was not until they were off and on their own that once again I just couldn’t put away the desire to create something unique and different from others.  But, painting just didn’t fill the bill, and then I saw a stained glass artist, that had created the most wonderful piece of art, not only in color and design, but texture and aliveness brought to it by the sun filtering through it.  And I was hooked.  I started taking classes from different teachers each showing me something different and unique to their work. 

This has brought me to today and the work that I create.  Hopefully utilitarian but even more BEAUTY IN A BOX.  The boxes have captivated me since I made my first one, now the challenge is to keep making one of a kind boxes.  Some boxes where just the glass speaks to you, others where the design captivates you and pulls you into the glass. It is the challenge and the beauty of the glass that motivates me and keeps me working with the wide spectrum of glass and the matching pieces that I sometimes make to compliment my boxes.  I hope you will love them as much as I do!