Sharon Art Studio

Class has started again after the break at the Sharon Art Studio. I first began taking classes here 12 years ago. I started with glass, then enameling and jewelery, small metal work, now back downstairs for glass again. I have the same teacher that I did 12 years ago, and nothing has changed. The studio is a beautiful building on the edge of Sharon Meadow in GGP, just above the Haight. It looks like a fairy tale cottage made of stone blocks with a steep roof. The glass studio portion is on the main floor. The room has a very high vaulted ceiling with decorative, open beams. Tall windows line the walls on three sides filling the room with light, and offering views into the park. What a wonderful place to create. I am the youngest person in my small class. Most folks are over 50 and have been working in the studio for many years. I pull my work in progress from my little cubby shelf and gather my tools from the closet. I stake my claim on a large table and plug into my iPod. For just a few hours a week I can tune out and let my hands work. Cutting out the pattern piece by piece. Tracing the pattern piece onto glass with a sharpie, then dipping the cutter in oil and with a careful eye, tounge wedged into the corner of my mouth I trace the line with a cutter. Once you start the cut, you can't stop until you're done. Just enough pressure. I tap the glass for luck, then using a small breaker, snap the shape out. Of course it doesn't fit as perfectly as it should, so I carefully grind an edge or two until it fits against the other pieces, nice and snug. Then I cut the lead, trim the edges and wrap it against the new piece. Slowly, meticulously I plod along. A few more months, and it will be done, catching the light and gleaming colors into my living room for years to come.