Rhonda, a native Oregonian has been involved in making art in one form or another her whole life. Prior to working in glass, Rhonda worked in colored pencil for over 20 years and was on the National Board of Directors of the Colored Pencil Society of America for over 15 years. The transition to the medium of glass with its wonderful colors and relationships to light was, therefore, an easy natural one. Penumbra Glass, Rhonda's glass business is a result of this transition. Rhonda is the past Sponsorship Director of the Oregon Glass Guild and responsible for developing the Patron/Sponsor program for the Guild.
"Kilnworking glass is my passion. I love to fuse and cast glass. Many of my sculptural pieces express an ongoing exploration of whimsy and humor in art. I love to explore the less serious side of art that often takes itself way too seriously. I think of my fused stand-up sculptures as "cartoons in glass". These pieces are work- intensive, requiring at least 2 firings but when finished I hope they make people smile."
"I also do garden art, specializing in garden stakes and birdbaths, and more conventional glasswork such as jewelry and kitchenware, as well as commissions. I recently completed all the kitchen and bathroom drawer pulls in a newly built home. Each one was different......what fun!"
"Casting glass is a much different process than fusing but one that I really enjoy. My cast pieces are part of a series that not only explores humor but also juxtaposes unconventional materials with the cast glass. I have used computer parts as the backgrounds for the cast pieces, embellishing them with fused components. I like the idea of combining glass with materials that might otherwise be considered unusable."
Updated July 19, 2007