PDX Profile: Leah Pellegrini

Leah Pellegrini makes beautiful glass jewelry and jewel-toned glass mobiles. (I love her small mobiles that mount to the side of your computer monitor, giving you a moment's rest from screen-burnout.) She also teaches glass-working classes at Aquila Glass School.

Be sure to hop over to the Leah's Glass website for a closer look!

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How did you first get excited about working with glass?
In college I found a glass hot shop (Hot Soup in Philadelphia) and learned to blow glass. It was a great distraction from my busy University life and the hot sweaty passionate process was a lot of fun. I really enjoyed the medium, and I picked up an internship so I could afford taking classes and renting studio time. But I'll be perfectly honest :) the sexy sweaty men taking molten glass and creating works of art was all I needed to keep me excited about glass!

And I had a great teacher - Gateson Recko - I am so grateful that artists have always been so willing and happy to share with me and work with me. Glass infiltrated my little life and I became a woman obsessed with the medium. In fact, I now teach beginner classes to offer some reciprocity for how generous artists were with me. And I really find this to be a lot of fun - I enjoy sharing what I have learned with others. Also a diversified income (artist/teacher) takes some of the stress out of being a one woman entrepreneur. Over the last year or so I have been keeping a blog as well, yet another way for me to share more information about the mysteries of glass.

How did you become inspired to make mobiles, and what keeps you inspired?
I have always loved mobiles. Living in Philadelphia I would go to the Art Museum and sit on the stairs under the big Calder mobile and be mesmerized by its movements. I think the first mobile that really made my jaw drop is in Washington DC in the lobby of the Contemporary Museum of Art. The scale is what makes this one so amazing, the movement is what I find hypnotizing.

I can't believe more artists don't make kinetic art. There is really a small number of mobile makers out there. Practically every little baby has a mobile hanging above their crib, so in my opinion, we have been trained to find them really relaxing and beautiful. As adults we should all have a mobile in our bedroom to wake up to and make us smile.

Mobiles are fun to make, and I stay inspired in that its so amazing to make these works of art that come alive when they are done. Inspiration comes in many forms, whether it be the smile on my face as I complete a project, the blisters on my hands from working too much, and most importantly for me, the sense of amazement that I am able to make a living off what I love to do!

Glass-work looks so mysterious and dangerous, what with the blowtorch and all. What are the first things you teach your students about working with glass?
The first thing I cover is how to be safe. I point out what is around the studio to keep the artist from hurting themselves or the studio while they work. my classes are fun, I know people take them to have a good time playing with glass, and burning themselves is not fun!

Will you tell us about your glass jewelry, too?
I am really pretty obsessed with glass, and I wear quite a bit of it!

I first started my business back in 2001 with my handmade pyrex glass rings... I love the way they feel and look, and I found that I could make them all day. So this was a great product for me to use in learning how to sell my work to shops and galleries. Then as I started making all sorts of other glass jewelry to sell in my booth at the Portland Saturday Market - pendants, earrings, etc.

This year I have been making these beautiful branches and flowers on little glass puddles to be worn as necklaces. When the trees bloom in the spring it just makes my heart melt. So I take lots of pictures and make little glass branches to imitate this magic.

What's your take on the difference between "Art" and "Craft?"
I grew up taking "Arts and Crafts" classes, and I feel like my life has become an extension of the enjoyment I found doing and making things. But the line between "Art" and "Craft" is a blurry one for me. Some people seem to have associations of certain techniques with the word "Craft". Frankly it seems most art could be considered craft. Is it perhaps a question of how something is made... but it all boils down to perspective.

I think its very interesting that in a town full of so many artists and crafty-goodness there is the Museum of Contemporary Craft. Not only does this museum serve as a gallery to showcase work, but it also proudly acts as a catalyst to get visitors talking about where this distinction lies between "Art" and "Craft".

What are your favorite creative spots in Portland?
- the Portland Saturday Market is an amazing community of creative artists and entrepreneurs
- the Aquila Glass School is the best friendly little glass studio I have ever worked in!
- W.C. Winks Hardware store is the best hardware store ever!
- Portland Store Fixtures is key to any creative small business in Portland
- the Bullseye Glass Resource Center