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Artist and Creation Information
Rosanne Wellmaker has apprenticed with other artists in various media for the past twenty years. She holds a B.A. in Media Studies from Queens College. Her talents range from glass blowing and sculpting to jewelry design and painting. Rosanne is a member of the Glass Art Society and the Art League of Long Island. Please visit www.suromuralmagic.com to see her painted works.
The Beginning: "I went to Disney world with my family when I was about eight years old. There was a booth in the center of Main Street, where someone was lampworking using the crochet technique. That was it for me, it was magic. I spent hours that first day, constantly begging my parents to still be left there to watch, thankfully they agreed! Since then I've been fascinated with glass and its movement".
Artist Rosanne Wellmaker creates designs using rods and/or tubes of glass melted using an oxygen and propane torch (torchwork/flameworked), and/or sheet glass, which are shaped using a glass oven/kiln (fusing/slumping).
Beads can take me up to one hour to create. I melt rods of glass around a mandrel (stainless steel rod). The layering of color and design elements for each bead, are created when I combine different rods of glass together and by moving the molten glass with various tools as more glass is applied. Each bead is then properly annealed (brought to even temperature and slowly cooled to prevent cracking). Only when I examine the finished bead can the jewelry design process begin. Each individual bead dictates what jewelry design will complement it.
Most Jewelry is composed of glass, semi-precious stones, 14k gold filled and/or sterling silver.
Fused and/or slumped works begin as design ideas. I shape flat sheets of glass using one or a combination of the following: a glasscutter, band saw, drill press, router and hand tools. Once each element has been chosen for color and shape the design is arranged on the kiln (oven) shelf. It is brought up to melting temperature (apx. 1500 degrees) and held at that temperature until the components are fused (melted) together. The fused piece is then slowly cooled to room temperature. After inspection, depending on the design, it may be slumped onto a mold. I make some molds myself using various media including clay, cement, and ceramic paper. Once the mold is prepared the design is laid onto or into it. The piece is fired again to allow the glass to slump (melted to take shape) into the mold. When it has reached the shape I desire it is annealed and finally cooled to room temperature. At this stage other techniques may be used to complete the design including firing on luster (glass particles suspended in a medium), which are then re-fired to melt them into the glass, and/or sand-blasting, etching or painting.
All Glassware/Dinnerware is washable and food safe unless specified otherwise.
Shape and form of the world around me inspires my work. On my last trip to Italy, I was able to meet with world-renowned glass artists. Venice and Murano Island are the inspiration for some of my works. Scuba diving inspires my aquatic life series, my husbands affinity for helicopters has challenged me to create them in glass. Growing up in a pet shop started me on the path of my involvedment with animals in some way, my years of dog obedience instruction and work on a horse ranch as a child and teen certainly inspires me to create those animals. I have always been attracted to trees, feeling peaceful being around them and studying them is what currently drives my nature works.
Glass Education
Initially a self-taught glass artist using books, videos and her background in art from college, Rosanne has more recently attended the following schools:
Glass Art Society Conference: New Orleans 2004
Various workshops at The Corning Museum of Glass http://www.cmog.org Vittorio Costantini - Corning Museum of Glass: Flameworked Birds, Fish and Insects 06/20-25/05 Eric Goldschmidt - Corning Museum of Glass: Flameworked Goblets 10-15,16-05
Art Glass Invitational 2006 and 2007 http://www.glass123.com/AGI.html Robert Mickelsen: Technolux Brooklyn NY: Surface form and function: May 5, 6 2007 Milon Townsend: Webinar: Dichroic Glass 5-2-13
Loren Stump: Corning Museum of Glass: Flameworking using ultimate details June 2013 Tanya Veit: Webinar: Dichroic Odyssey June 2013 Carmen Lozar Takoda Madrona Workshop Sept 2021
Past Displays
Heckscher Museum of Art Shop 2004
Meet the Artist: Heckscher Museum of Art 2004 Art League of Long Island Member shows 2004, 2005,2006, 2008, 2011, 2013, 2014 July 2006 “ Waste Not, Want Not: The art of Gleaning” presented by the Art League of Long Island and the Long Island Craft Guild.
Soliel et Lune - Studio - Gallery, Salem VA 2007, 2008
Catskill Art Society: Member show 2010, 2011, 2013
KITTRELL/RIFFKIND ART GLASS: Christmas ornament spectacular 2009-2013 The Heard Gallery - Galveston TX
The Beginning: "I went to Disney world with my family when I was about eight years old. There was a booth in the center of Main Street, where someone was lampworking using the crochet technique. That was it for me, it was magic. I spent hours that first day, constantly begging my parents to still be left there to watch, thankfully they agreed! Since then I've been fascinated with glass and its movement".
Artist Rosanne Wellmaker creates designs using rods and/or tubes of glass melted using an oxygen and propane torch (torchwork/flameworked), and/or sheet glass, which are shaped using a glass oven/kiln (fusing/slumping).
Beads can take me up to one hour to create. I melt rods of glass around a mandrel (stainless steel rod). The layering of color and design elements for each bead, are created when I combine different rods of glass together and by moving the molten glass with various tools as more glass is applied. Each bead is then properly annealed (brought to even temperature and slowly cooled to prevent cracking). Only when I examine the finished bead can the jewelry design process begin. Each individual bead dictates what jewelry design will complement it.
Most Jewelry is composed of glass, semi-precious stones, 14k gold filled and/or sterling silver.
Fused and/or slumped works begin as design ideas. I shape flat sheets of glass using one or a combination of the following: a glasscutter, band saw, drill press, router and hand tools. Once each element has been chosen for color and shape the design is arranged on the kiln (oven) shelf. It is brought up to melting temperature (apx. 1500 degrees) and held at that temperature until the components are fused (melted) together. The fused piece is then slowly cooled to room temperature. After inspection, depending on the design, it may be slumped onto a mold. I make some molds myself using various media including clay, cement, and ceramic paper. Once the mold is prepared the design is laid onto or into it. The piece is fired again to allow the glass to slump (melted to take shape) into the mold. When it has reached the shape I desire it is annealed and finally cooled to room temperature. At this stage other techniques may be used to complete the design including firing on luster (glass particles suspended in a medium), which are then re-fired to melt them into the glass, and/or sand-blasting, etching or painting.
All Glassware/Dinnerware is washable and food safe unless specified otherwise.
Shape and form of the world around me inspires my work. On my last trip to Italy, I was able to meet with world-renowned glass artists. Venice and Murano Island are the inspiration for some of my works. Scuba diving inspires my aquatic life series, my husbands affinity for helicopters has challenged me to create them in glass. Growing up in a pet shop started me on the path of my involvedment with animals in some way, my years of dog obedience instruction and work on a horse ranch as a child and teen certainly inspires me to create those animals. I have always been attracted to trees, feeling peaceful being around them and studying them is what currently drives my nature works.
Glass Education
Initially a self-taught glass artist using books, videos and her background in art from college, Rosanne has more recently attended the following schools:
Glass Art Society Conference: New Orleans 2004
Various workshops at The Corning Museum of Glass http://www.cmog.org Vittorio Costantini - Corning Museum of Glass: Flameworked Birds, Fish and Insects 06/20-25/05 Eric Goldschmidt - Corning Museum of Glass: Flameworked Goblets 10-15,16-05
Art Glass Invitational 2006 and 2007 http://www.glass123.com/AGI.html Robert Mickelsen: Technolux Brooklyn NY: Surface form and function: May 5, 6 2007 Milon Townsend: Webinar: Dichroic Glass 5-2-13
Loren Stump: Corning Museum of Glass: Flameworking using ultimate details June 2013 Tanya Veit: Webinar: Dichroic Odyssey June 2013 Carmen Lozar Takoda Madrona Workshop Sept 2021
Past Displays
Heckscher Museum of Art Shop 2004
Meet the Artist: Heckscher Museum of Art 2004 Art League of Long Island Member shows 2004, 2005,2006, 2008, 2011, 2013, 2014 July 2006 “ Waste Not, Want Not: The art of Gleaning” presented by the Art League of Long Island and the Long Island Craft Guild.
Soliel et Lune - Studio - Gallery, Salem VA 2007, 2008
Catskill Art Society: Member show 2010, 2011, 2013
KITTRELL/RIFFKIND ART GLASS: Christmas ornament spectacular 2009-2013 The Heard Gallery - Galveston TX