The glass beads Carli Kruse creates contain small worlds of color and shape on the inside, and layer drapes of metal on the outside. Her earrings, bracelets, and pendants are stunning to look at and feel elegant to wear.
Carli's latest designs are featured at the gallery in April, and will be honored at an Artist Reception on Saturday, April 6, from 6 to 9 p.m.
"Glass can be made by nature or made by humans, and is one of the most enduring materials a human can create with. Sharing the joy of a glass creation and seeing someone else light up when they look into my small worlds is one of the best gifts of my art. Something about glass is inviting to everyone, at almost every age," Carli explains.
"Blending glass with metals, copper and silver, has been my recent path to stretch the medium further. Working with organic shapes and patterns frees me from striving to be perfect in my symmetry, while allowing for happy accidents and wondrous challenges. Creating in fire feels primal and wild, yet disciplined and requiring commitment to learn to talk to glass in its own language. Working bigger expands my physical pieces as it expands and challenges my brain, and I am beginning to take my work bigger than my usual studio space allows. By working in a medium so old, and a discipline so ancient, I reach to the future with one hand, while standing in the footsteps of so many glass artists behind me, stretching back into time for thousands of years."
When not in her studio, Carli is a professional website designer.
