about
GRETCHEN R. SHUTT
Gretchen Shutt is a stained glass artist specializing in the copper foil technique. Born outside of Gettysburg, PA, she studied at Kutztown University and received a BFA in Crafts. She creates panels, lampshades, kaleidoscopes, jewelry, and flower sculptures, often incorporating gemstones and mineral specimens.
She moved to Santa Fe, NM where she helped found the Women’s Co-op Gallery as well as show on Canyon Road. She worked in professional glass studios, taught independent studies with Gettysburg college., and gave private lessons.
She now lives in Gettysburg, PA, creating custom commission pieces for residential clients. She is a member of the Adams County Arts Council.
"One of the reasons that I love glass so much is that it is a medium bound by constraints. Glass is brittle, yet strong. It is easily broken, yet if respected, can be eternally preserved. It is dark, and yet when the light of this world shines through, it not only is transformed into a thing of beauty but transforms everything around it. As such, it has a mystical element to it that cannot be denied.
Cold glass is an inflexible material that prefers straight lines, simplicity, geometry. It wants and often needs to be structured by these laws. That is why I love pushing glass to its limits, stretching its curves even to the breaking point. The ultimate challenge of glass is forcing it out of its structure; in pushing its boundaries further with each piece in time while maintaining its stability as a whole.
I have always found my own life to have similar constraints, challenges and contradictions. It is a medium well suited to reflect the journey that life has presented to my spirit, soul and body; both to enjoy and to overcome."
Gretchen’s artwork can be found at www.hipchickglass.com
Social media @hipchickglass @hipchickjewelry
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