Orange Line Gallery

Jan Chard

"I work in stained glass (flat glass) because I’ve never gotten over the internal excitement of seeing the glass sparkle. There is a moment, possibly after weeks or months of work, when the piece comes up off the table and I witness the light coming through the glass for the first time. I anticipate that moment from the conception of each design to the completed creation.Each step of the process allows an internal dialogue to occur and my challenge is to listen to that dialogue. I find it important to create objects of art that are beautiful. Knowing, of course, that beauty is subjective, I feel drawn to the quiet, natural persuasion of the world and would rather not comment artistically on the stress filled, sometimes horror filled, world that exists. By creating works that bring pleasure and joy I feel I have cooperated in establishing a richer spiritual connection with the earth. I am compelled to seek out that which brings me quiet internal harmony.The design process can be slow often times beginning a piece and letting it sit for days or weeks allowing time to bring me to the next place of contact. It requires me to be patient and explore within those places that seem boundless and yet sometimes impossible to access. Once the work begins, I usually experience a rush of excitement and want to hurry through the fabrication. Alas, I am again faced with patience asking me to slow down, be meticulous, enter into the realm of glass and lead. Now the process becomes tactile. The feel of the glass in my hand, the sound of it separating once scored, the physical strain on hands, shoulders and back as I place the leads and even the smells that occur while glazing and polishing. Once I’ve entered that place there doesn’t seem to be anything else and the outside world retreats.In a world where increasingly quiet, inner reflection, intimacy and natural beauty is devalued, I feel my work represents a return to historic beliefs in its timelessness and tradition.."

Jan Chard