Sarah Porter
Glass Artist
“Currently my focus is on the transformational aspect of glass – taking a material that is stiff, unyielding and fixed at room temperature, and completely altering it by encouraging movement in the kiln at process temperatures is fascinating to me. I can achieve results that have a “painterly” quality, like watercolours, but taking advantage of the stunning translucency and brilliance of glass.“
I began creating jewellery in 2005 and added kiln-formed glass in 2007 as a way to add colour to my sterling silver pieces. My evolution as an artist has always had a root desire to know more, become more, to make the transition from craft to art.
My learning process has been both formal and experiential. One of the benefits of the pandemic lockdowns is having access online to master glass artisans, which has added tremendously to my knowledge of glass; having said that, I continue to take courses and experiment and feel that my artistic journey will never be done as I evolve and hone my artistic skills.
I create sculptural and functional art glass through the process of kiln-forming: heating various glass materials (sheet glass, powders, glass enamels…) to high temperatures in a kiln, often over several firings, to create a final piece. My style could best be described as “eclectic”; I do not have a single style but rather, my work has progressed over time to take advantage of new skills as I add them to my “kit bag”.
Sarah is a Resident Artist at the Scugog Arts Space. You can always find her work here at 175b Queen Street Port Perry.
