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Meet CCA Artist Carolyn Crystal

Meet CCA Artist Carolyn Crystal

This month’s In the Nook artist is glass bead and jewelry maker Carolyn Crystal. We asked Carolyn to tell us in her own words about her work.

I LOVE GLASS!! by Carolyn Crystal

When I was a child, my parents frequently took me to watch glass being blown at Blenko Glass Company in West Virginia. That was the beginning of a lifelong fascination with the magic of molten glass. While I went on to pursue a career as a ceramic sculptor, I have now come full circle and returned to glass.

For as long as I can remember I’ve been interested in art. I studied extensively in many media and received a BFA degree from the University of New Mexico, with additional studies in drawing and painting at the New York Studio School and sculpture and glassblowing at Carnegie-Mellon University.

Jewelry by Carolyn Crystal
Jewelry by Carolyn Crystal

Following art school, I pursued my dream of supporting myself as an artist. Over the next 20 years I established myself nationally as a ceramic sculptor making large, contemporary slab-built pieces. My work could be found in major galleries and design showrooms, as well as in many permanent collections both public and private. I was then using my maiden name, Carolyn Sale.

As the years passed, working with clay became increasingly challenging for me. I wondered what medium might fire my creative juices with less physical stress. Then my husband gave me an introductory class in glass bead making as a surprise birthday gift. Hooked from my very first bead, I set up a studio in our garage and started learning something new.

I now live in Hood River, Oregon. The natural beauty of the Columbia Gorge inspires me and I couldn’t be happier with this new chapter of my life!

You can see Carolyn Crystal’s beautiful jewelry and bead work in our Art Gallery at the Columbia Center for the Arts.