In August i didnt have featured artists. But it's a time of vacance and also I gone to the sea)
Today's feature is FleetingStillness.
Please tell us a little about yourself!
My name is Alla Sharkova. I was born in Baku, Azerbaijan and moved to the United States when I was 19 almost 20 years ago. Here I met my husband, who was also from Baku (talk about coincidences) and we have eventually married. Now we live in Bethesda, Maryland and have two wonderful kids.
How long has the artist in you been 'unleashed' for?
My life has been split between math (yes, math) and crafts for as long as I can remember. Math won out in my professional life, and I became a software engineer. Reading and crafts have always occupied my free time - while I had free time, that is before the kids were born. I learned to sew at 6, to knit and crochet at 8, made my own clothes, worked with wood, drew with ink and ballpoint pens, had a photo lab in my bathroom… but nothing stuck for a long time.
Working with glass always seemed magical to me, something out of this world, not to be tried by mere humans. So I've always wondered how it was done but never had an opportunity to find out. That is until the summer of 2002 when I saw some tools, a book and a box of glass being sold at a yard sale. I bought it all and that same evening I cut my first piece of glass, wrapped it in foil and soldered it back together. That evening I realized that I too could work with glass - and it was my dream come true.
Matrix Spring - Modern Landscape Stained Glass Panel
What kind of items do you sell?
I sell anything I think would be fun to make out of stained glass and have around the house: window panels, sun catchers, lanterns and refrigerator magnets. Stained glass is an ancient medium that has been at a disadvantage lately. It is flat and rigid and needs to be lit in a certain way which makes it hard to compete especially with computer-based art. I would love to come up with the way for stained glass to fit into the modern lifestyle. I make and sell items that I would (and do) place into my house to make it more beautiful and whimsical.
What is your work process?
I sketch whenever and wherever I get an idea. When I make time to work with glass, I pick out a sketch that matches my mood the most. My sketches are very basic and each has a little story associated with it. I let my sketches transform depending on the music I listen to as I work, the story I came up with, and the glass that lends itself to the piece. Often the panel evolves so much while I work on it that it is hard to trace it to the original sketch... For me this evolution is the greatest part of the process because the finished product then is not just a colorful pattern, it becomes an illustration, a postcard, a mood snapshot.
A Wave and a Goldfish Stained Glass Panel
How did Etsy come into your life?
For the longest time I have felt that I did not want to sell my works - I got too emotionally attached to them. I gave them as gifts to my friends and family, and donated a couple to charity auctions. I came to Etsy in December of 2009 mostly wishing to exhibit my works and still very reluctant to actually part with them. I am getting over that now :) I had some sales and the comments and feedback of my happy customers made it worthwhile.
How did you come up with the name of your store?
It was a very long process :) I was picking out the name even before I joined Etsy, when I was creating my website. All the names I liked were taken... One of the qualities I love in glass is that it drastically changes its appearance depending on lighting. I strive to build pieces that do not need a spotlight to look good. My stained glass panels are meant to be displayed in a window, with trees or buildings in the background, with shadows running through them. The surrounding rhythm of life is picked up by the glass and the panel is not still anymore, it is in fluid motion and that is what I hope will bring the feeling of fleeting stillness to them. And this is where the name Fleeting Stillness comes from.
Do you take custom orders?
Yes, I do. I have made a number of pieces for specific settings in specific houses.
What are your web site, blog, Twitter, Facebook page?
My web site is http://www.fleetingstillness.com
My Etsy site is http://www.etsy.com/shop/FleetingStillness
Facebook Page is http://www.facebook.com/pages/Fleeting-Stillness-Original-Stained-Glass/121769807875197
What would you like to say to our readers?
Do not be afraid to take chances on art and to explore!
Today's feature is FleetingStillness.
Please tell us a little about yourself!
My name is Alla Sharkova. I was born in Baku, Azerbaijan and moved to the United States when I was 19 almost 20 years ago. Here I met my husband, who was also from Baku (talk about coincidences) and we have eventually married. Now we live in Bethesda, Maryland and have two wonderful kids.
How long has the artist in you been 'unleashed' for?
My life has been split between math (yes, math) and crafts for as long as I can remember. Math won out in my professional life, and I became a software engineer. Reading and crafts have always occupied my free time - while I had free time, that is before the kids were born. I learned to sew at 6, to knit and crochet at 8, made my own clothes, worked with wood, drew with ink and ballpoint pens, had a photo lab in my bathroom… but nothing stuck for a long time.
Working with glass always seemed magical to me, something out of this world, not to be tried by mere humans. So I've always wondered how it was done but never had an opportunity to find out. That is until the summer of 2002 when I saw some tools, a book and a box of glass being sold at a yard sale. I bought it all and that same evening I cut my first piece of glass, wrapped it in foil and soldered it back together. That evening I realized that I too could work with glass - and it was my dream come true.
Matrix Spring - Modern Landscape Stained Glass PanelWhat kind of items do you sell?
I sell anything I think would be fun to make out of stained glass and have around the house: window panels, sun catchers, lanterns and refrigerator magnets. Stained glass is an ancient medium that has been at a disadvantage lately. It is flat and rigid and needs to be lit in a certain way which makes it hard to compete especially with computer-based art. I would love to come up with the way for stained glass to fit into the modern lifestyle. I make and sell items that I would (and do) place into my house to make it more beautiful and whimsical.
What is your work process?
I sketch whenever and wherever I get an idea. When I make time to work with glass, I pick out a sketch that matches my mood the most. My sketches are very basic and each has a little story associated with it. I let my sketches transform depending on the music I listen to as I work, the story I came up with, and the glass that lends itself to the piece. Often the panel evolves so much while I work on it that it is hard to trace it to the original sketch... For me this evolution is the greatest part of the process because the finished product then is not just a colorful pattern, it becomes an illustration, a postcard, a mood snapshot.
A Wave and a Goldfish Stained Glass PanelHow did Etsy come into your life?
For the longest time I have felt that I did not want to sell my works - I got too emotionally attached to them. I gave them as gifts to my friends and family, and donated a couple to charity auctions. I came to Etsy in December of 2009 mostly wishing to exhibit my works and still very reluctant to actually part with them. I am getting over that now :) I had some sales and the comments and feedback of my happy customers made it worthwhile.
How did you come up with the name of your store?
It was a very long process :) I was picking out the name even before I joined Etsy, when I was creating my website. All the names I liked were taken... One of the qualities I love in glass is that it drastically changes its appearance depending on lighting. I strive to build pieces that do not need a spotlight to look good. My stained glass panels are meant to be displayed in a window, with trees or buildings in the background, with shadows running through them. The surrounding rhythm of life is picked up by the glass and the panel is not still anymore, it is in fluid motion and that is what I hope will bring the feeling of fleeting stillness to them. And this is where the name Fleeting Stillness comes from.
Do you take custom orders?
Yes, I do. I have made a number of pieces for specific settings in specific houses.
What are your web site, blog, Twitter, Facebook page?
My web site is http://www.fleetingstillness.com
My Etsy site is http://www.etsy.com/shop/FleetingStillness
Facebook Page is http://www.facebook.com/pages/Fleeting-Stillness-Original-Stained-Glass/121769807875197
What would you like to say to our readers?
Do not be afraid to take chances on art and to explore!
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6 коммент.:
I always loved stained glass, I wish we could have a stained glass window in our house. Wonderful work and great feature!
Wonderful article about the amazing artist! I love her work and her Etsy shop looks very lovely!
Wish you all the best!
Lora
Sağol Alla! Such a wonderful story about a self-taught and an accomplished artist. Your work is a real inspiration for our treasuries :)
I love stained glass too! It's lots of work, but beautiful. I wish you good sales, Alla!
I love glass!!! Amazing art pieces!
SO unique and amazing works!!!!!!!!!!!!
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