Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, January 3, 1992 TAG: 9201030219
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-1 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: KAREN BROWN
DATELINE: PULASKI LENGTH: Medium
FOR THE LOVE OF ART
Most people's idea of stained glass is limited to biblical scenes on church windows or small light-catchers dangling over the kitchen sink.Edna Love's artwork goes beyond these stereotypes.
Love, a retired arts educator, enjoys creating distinctive pieces with stained glass. Some of her work is the familiar flat panel or mosaic, but other pieces are three-dimensional or multitextured. No two pieces are alike.
Among the work on display at Pulaski's Office Park (at 246 Washington Ave.) are sculptures formed from metal and glass, pieces molded or "slumped" into shapes, and forms made by fusing glass of different colors and textures.
One piece, a wall hanging, features mirror-smooth black glass layered on a large oval pane of textured violet. Its round, black section is dotted with needle-thin strips of glass fused into the black.
Another work combines the elements of space and light: This free-standing sculpture is composed of thin, wine-red hearts surrounding a heart-shaped mirror.
Love sees stained glass as a versatile art form. "There are so many different types of glass - different colors, different textures." Love especially likes the effects of fusing glass to create new colors and textures.
The most exciting feature of glass is its color. With stained glass, the color changes with the quality and intensity of light passing through it. Because the color change is often subtle, "to enjoy it, you need to stay with the object for a few hours to see how it changes," Love said. Dealing with the variety in color is a special challenge for the artist: "When you make a piece, you must be able to live with how it looks at the different times of the day. The blues may be brightest at certain times, and at other times other colors may advance."
Sometimes, the effect of sunlight on the glass can be dramatic. A large, round, gold-and-yellow mosaic was hanging in the window of a display when, as Love related, she looked on the white floor and panicked: the colors of the glass were so vividly projected on the floor that Love believed for a moment that the work had fallen.
Love's earliest memories of stained glass include clear recollections of the glass's color. "The little country church I attended as a child had the most beautiful stained glass windows. There were no figures in them, but I remember the vivid colors of purple and amber. I was enthralled."
Those windows inspired Love to learn stained-glass artistry on her own. In high school, she obtained an English primer on stained glass and studied the art in college. More recently, Love attended special workshops on stained glass held by noted artisan Paul Mariani and other glass crafters.
Love's larger works include windows made for the chapels of Pulaski Community Hospital and Pulaski's First United Methodist Church. The church windows, which Love's son, Dennis, helped her create, feature thick chunks of richly colored glass held in a dark epoxy base.
Such breathtaking colors as gold and cobalt blue gain further variety through faceting - the chipping away of sections of the glass. For example, through faceting, a deep purple square slowly moves to an almost clear violet.
For those interested in learning the art of stained glasswork, Love will be holding workshops at Tech's Owens Hall beginning Jan. 15. The 10-week, non-credit class is sponsored by the Blacksburg Regional Arts Association.
"Classes offer more than kits can. You can make your own patterns and designs if you choose. It is also important to learn the history and background of stained glass," Love said.
Those interested in Love's workshop should contact Barbara Barrow at 381-1018 by Jan. 7. There is a fee for the classes.
As president of the Fine Arts Center for the New River Valley, Love encourages the community to explore other forms of art as well. "I feel strongly about the importance of the arts. Most of our heritage and culture are based on the arts. I believe children in school are entitled to an arts education. It's not a frill."