AR TIS T A

nne Nye’s art is made up of pieces—pieces of glass, pieces of foil and, in a way,

pieces of herself. Nye layers finely-crushed transparent and opaque glass, blending them together in the kiln to produce an ethereal portrait of nature. “As I create, I find myself reopening an old awareness deeply rooted in childhood but nearly buried by our busy technological world. My hope is that this work might cause the observer to see nature and glass in a new way,” Nye says, speaking of her pieces, which invite viewers to experience them not only through sight, but touch as well. Nye grew up in the Pacific Northwest and in addition to her travels as an adult, she takes great inspiration from her memories of nature as a child. “Each visual memory formed a wonderful backdrop for my childhood and my art,” she says, fondly recalling the tall cottonwoods near her grandparents’ home in southern Idaho and the aspens of Sun Valley. At first glance, her glass fusions appear to be paintings. It is only on closer inspection the layers reveal themselves, something that can be attributed to Nye’s background as a painter. Nye writes on her blog that in art school she was taught to shy away from beauty and to paint ugliness. She remembers a professor calling one of her early works “utesy cutesy” and, as a result, she immediately conformed to the curriculum. After earning her Bachelor of Fine Arts in California, Nye began her career as a full-time painter in a tourist town in Idaho. She painted as she was taught and found neither success nor happiness. Later she embarked on a graphic design career and admits she overcame some obstacles along the way.

Growing and altering her process, however, taught Nye to develop a distinct artistic voice. After many years, she committed to the fused glass medium, and now decades after finishing school she is a much sought-

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“Four Seasons Stix” Fused Glass 20” x 5” each

after artist and instructor. Nye teaches glass technique throughout the country and also continues her own learning process, having recently studied under Narcissus Quagliata and Ted Sawyer. “People need beauty and artists must find a way to present beauty that is good art. It must come from a rich inner life that is nourished with beautiful art, music and words,” Nye writes on her blog. “That is one of my main goals...to create with my heart.”

Nye works out of her studio in Omaha, Nebraska, alongside her husband Richard, who helps engineer the wall mountings. Her most recent work, Four Seasons Wall Stix, is a polyptych composed of four distinct landscapes depicting the changing seasons. Each is available for individual sale.

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