We cordially welcome stained glass artist, Devra Cohen, as one of our 2023–24 SBAM mentees. You will be seeing more of Devra Cohen as she participates in our internship activities and other self-propelled initiatives in Studio.
Here’s a glimpse of what Devra is all about:
A graduate of the University of Western Ontario’s visual arts program, Devra studied art history and various visual arts from painting to photography to sculpture. She had a professional career in the art and design world and is now developing knowledge and experience in fused glass sculpture and kiln formed glass.
Her work can be found at the Petroff Gallery in Toronto and Garage 13 in Eugenia, Ontario. She has been featured in group exhibitions at the Leslie Grove Gallery and Dragon fly Arts in Orangeville, Ontario.
Artist statement – I am drawn to the glass element by its nature to reflect as well as receive light, and the dimensions inherent in its natural form. I have painted and sculpted throughout my career, and gained my Visual Arts Degree from the University of Western Ontario where I concentrated mainly on photography. It was there, with the layering of exposures on paper, that I found my passion for the dimensional elements that can be captured in glass.
As my art and design career matured, I gravitated to glass on every level: blowing, casting, and sculpture. It wasn’t until I was able to form the glass myself, that I truly found the passion I was able to create myself with the aid of the kiln. Kiln forming glass, and then cold forming the pieces with my hands and machines, I can create pieces that reflect light, with colour and shape that simply can’t be found in any other of the mediums I have worked with.
Glass captures my artistic passion because of the depths of colour and shape and form. I am amazed every time a piece is completed at the ability each sculpture, I create can provide a dialogue for the viewer.
As part of SBAM, Devra would like to be mentored in glass casting and fusion, and gain an understanding of how to operate a kiln and customize firing schedules so that she can eventually purchase her own kiln.
Devra's social media coordinates:
Instagram: @irishlake_glassworks
Welcome aboard, Devra!
Have you ever wanted to experiment with resin compounds? Join SBAM mentee, Devra Cohen, as she shares her experience with eco-resin and how she employees it in her glass art.
