Susanne Pinkham

I starting working with glass in the 1970’s. I made many stained glass windows and hanging pieces. In this time frame I graduated from UNM with a degree in Nursing and worked for many years as a nurse. In the 1980’s I started fusing glass and that has been the direction of my work for the past thirty years. In the 1990’s I decided to become a full time artist and spent several years traveling to art shows with my work. I also wanted to become more skillful as an artist and I have taken many art classes at UNM-Taos in drawing, painting, and printmaking. My glass education has occurred at long and short courses at The Bullseye Resource Centers in Portland, OR, and Santa Fe, NM, and at the Pilchuk Glass School, near Seattle, Washington.

Glass can be manipulated as a representational medium and at the same time have the flow of abstraction with seductive color thrown into the mix. I use a variety of processes to create new configurations of glass that then go into my work including flow bars, pattern bars, murrini, and twisted canes. Making art is a process of asking endless questions. Why do I want to use a particular medium? What am I trying to communicate when I make my work? How do I hope the viewer will respond when they see my pieces? I try to create pieces of glass that engage the viewer and create a moment of visual intensity.