Oregon Coast Waves - 2-2

for Art and Ecology in Otis for two years.
When she began working with fused
glass, it was a new technique. She noted
that glass expands and shrinks in firing,
and all of the glass used has to shrink
and expand at the same time. In those
early years, this technique required a lot
of experimentation and testing, “and
I fell in love with that,” Kowalski said.
“Now there’s a huge selection of tested,
compatible glass.”
Kowalski explained that fused glass
involves stacking layers of compatible
glass to make a design that is then placed
in a kiln, where it melts — or fuses —
together. “That’s what I do now,’ she
said.
She also continues to teach fused glass
(see sidebar). “I’ve done a lot of research
and experimentation so I can take care
of all the technical aspects of firing and
guide my students to build their project,”
she said. “You don’t have to learn how to
paint or draw to learn how to play with
design and color and produce art. My
students can immediately start working
on their project and experiment with
design and color,” what she considers
the most interesting part of creating art.
“Glass is very accessible, but it requires
many materials,” she said. “It’s not a
portable technique. My students have
access to all my supplies in my studio.”
In her own work, Kowalski is
experimenting with vitrigraph and wire
melt techniques. Vitrigraph uses a special
kiln with a crucible and shelf, each with
holes in their bottoms. When the glass is
heated sufficiently, a thin stream of glass
flows out the bottom of the vitrigraph
and toward the floor, allowing her to
make a variety of stringers. The kiln is
heated up to 1700 degrees Fahrenheit.
The technique of wire melt involves
placing small pieces of glass strategically
BY LESLIE O’DONNELL
on a
stainless
steel wire mesh
screen and heating it to 1540
degrees. As the pieces liquefy, they slowly
drip through the mesh and onto the kiln
shelf, creating random mixing of colors
as they merge into a single sheet. “This
gives the wire melt a wonderful organic
feel and a special beauty,” she said.
Kowalski’s work is bright and colorful.
“I’ve always loved vibrant colors and
overlaying them to create different
shades of color,” she said.
One of her more striking techniques
is woven glass, in which she cuts strips
of glass, layers them and fuses them
together. She places the glass on a
zigzag mold and alternates the bars, as if
weaving in reverse.
Kowalski has three kilns in her studio —
a large one about 40 inches, a vitrigraph
kiln about 20 inches, and a tiny test
kiln. She uses the large kiln most often,
both for her regular glass pieces and her
classes.
The COVID pandemic caused Kowalski
to stop all of her classes; she reopened
her studio in May. During the pandemic
she sold art supplies on Etsy. “People
were off work and staying home and
doing more hobbies, so it worked out,”
she said. “It was nice to take a break, and
I kept busy with commissions.”
And as part of the city of Newportfunded
repair project for Sam Briseño’s
“Ambassador” metal
sculpture, long a fixture overlooking
the ocean in Nye Beach, she will be
recreating the figure’s two glass inserts.
Kowalski is inspired by the beauty of the
coast, especially the ocean and water.
As she says on her website, her work
“reflects the dynamic play of color, tone
and nature of the Northwest.
“The properties of transparency,
refraction, and magnification set glass
apart from other art mediums,” she
wrote. “The optics of glass can bring
the illusion of movement and life to a
sculpture. When the alchemy of intense
heat is added, the fluid nature of fused
glass holds a fascination that no other
medium can satisfy.”
Her work ranges from realistic
representations of nature to abstract
interpretations of the “essence and
palette of her environment.
“I don’t try to pre-think a piece,” she
said. “Leaving it to the unconscious,
ideas and designs can come from the
intuitive, subconscious level. Designs
can express that which lies under the
surface. I’m searching for what remains
after self is forgotten.”
Kowalski’s art can be seen at Icefire
Glassworks in Cannon Beach or at her
website: kowalskiglass.com.
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