Daily Inspiration: Meet Diane C. Taylor

Today we’d like to introduce you to Diane C. Taylor.

Hi Diane, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
In early 2002, my mother died. I moved from Switzerland, where I had been working, to Tucson, to sell her house. My plan was to go back to the East Coast, where I had lived before and where my daughter was. But there was no job, so I ended up staying in Tucson, with some time and money to learn stained glass, something I’d wanted to do for some time. I didn’t like it. Then I saw an ad for making beads. I tried, but working with tanks of gas at home didn’t appeal to me. However, that instructor introduced me to glass fusing, and I found my passion. I was only ever able to get a part-time job, so I had time to take more classes.

Eventually, I bought my own small kiln so I could make jewelry easily. I did small shows around town and had work in a shop here and there. After a mishap renting space in a large kiln, I bought one so I could make plates and bowls. In 2011, the organization I worked for was changing, and I retired. Now I’m just fusing glass, having moved on to framed pieces and small sculptures.

You’ll find my work in three galleries/shops in Tucson, one in Tubac, one in Cave Creek and one in Richmond, VA, where my daughter now lives. I belong to a variety of groups, including the International Association of Astronomical Artists, the Arizona Glass Alliance and the Sonoran Arts League.

I will be at a studio in Scottsdale with three other artists during the League’s 25th Hidden in the Hills art studio tour.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
All in all, my road was pretty smooth. I struggled with the decision to buy the kilns. My mother’s house was great for her. But it wasn’t designed to be a fused glass studio. Basically, I live in my studio, not the other way around. I have way too much glass, but never what I need for the next project, which means I have to buy even more.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I fuse glass. Besides making jewelry and sometimes bowls and plates, I’m always on the lookout for things I can put my fused glass in or on. I like to troll the thrift stores for frames and wood boxes for my fused glass pictures. My themes tend to be the Sonoran Desert, where I was born and raised, and outer space, because I spent nearly 20 years working on some aspect of space policy, mostly in administration. I’m also interested in leaves and in faces. In my desert pictures, I often incorporate spirit horses of mica (not the mineral).

If these are on transparent glass, I mount the picture over holographic paper, usually with a design, to add depth and interest. For space and dark-sky pictures, I do the same. I have not seen many other artists mounting work over mirror (I used to use this, till I found shiny paper worked better and weighed less) or patterned paper. I’ve also tried mounting a piece over fabric in order to get the saguaro design.

I’m always looking for new ways to create new work, solve problems I run into and use up scrap glass (I save it all).

What matters most to you?
Artistically, I try to create interesting, sometimes whimsical, careful work. I don’t do a lot of super-fine detail, because I’m not patient enough. I would like to have my work in more art galleries and some glass galleries, because that would be a sign that others who are knowledgeable about art and glass appreciate what I do.

Contact Info:

• Email: diane@dianesfusedglass.com
• Website: dianesfusedglass.com
• Instagram: dianesfusedglass
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dianesfusedglass

Image Credits
Diane C. Taylor