Lesley Kelly is the incoming 2024 Board President. She started doing stained glass in 2004, learning from classes at Cline’s Glass after her daughter went to college. In 2008, she began fusing. Since then, she has tried her hand at multiple forms of glass art, including glass blowing, beads, fusing, stained glass, mosaics, etc.

The light coming though glass and creating colors fascinates Lesley as well as the idea of creating nature through art. Lesley creates a lot of bubble glass and has also been working with the new delicate disco method taught by Amanda Simmons. This method uses powder to create glass squares that are then slumped in drop rings to create bowls or other pieces. When asked what new techniques she wants to try right now, she replied, “I just need time to work on the ones I have learned in the past few years!”

Lesley joined the glass guild in 2004 and started helping Charlene Fort with running the Gathering of the Guilds (GOTG) shows. She served as volunteer coordinator for that as well as the information booth for the show for a lot of years. She was the membership chair of the Guild for two years, then treasurer for three years, and volunteered to chair the GOTG in 2021, 2022 and 2023. Her goal is to make the Guild a resource for all members, have meetings that really draw members to them, and to get the Guild on a good financial footing.

Barb Kienle is the incoming 2024 Board Co-Vice President.

Barb lives in Portland and attended the Gathering of the Guilds for many years. She always found herself drawn to the Glass Guild section, marveling at the beauty of the pieces and the talent of the artists. One year her husband gave her a kiln for Christmas. She has no idea how he decided that was a gift she would want or use, but it sat in its box for two years in the garage. With an all-consuming career and very little free time, she felt overwhelmed by learning how to use a kiln. However, as her retirement approached, Barb decided to take a class at Bullseye Glass.

In the class, Barb learned how to cut glass and made a simple plate. Very basic, but it was enough to boost her confidence and she went home to unpack the kiln. That was 5 years ago. Basically self-taught through videos and trial and error, Barb credits some wonderful artists she has met along the way who have generously shared information and techniques with her. She tries to pay that forward when meeting others who are learning.

Barb enthuses, “I love the texture of tack and contour fusing and I love flowers and beach scenes. I do a couple events a year to sell things so I can replenish my glass supplies.” She now splits her time between Portland and Arizona. When they decided to spend the winters in Arizona a few years ago, she told her husband that she could not go 5 months without doing glass, so they set up a small studio space in their garage in Arizona. Barb loves being able to work all year with glass and hosts open studio times for friends in AZ.

Barb joined the Glass Guild at the suggestion of a friend who said it was a great way to be part of the glass community and learn from others. She reflects, “I am not the most outgoing person, but have tried to participate in some of the events and have always felt welcomed. I look forward to sharing the Vice President position with Carlyne Lynch and continuing to learn from all of you.” 

Carlyne Lynch, from Wilsonville, Oregon, is stepping into the role of Co-Vice President of the Board for 2024. Carlyne is a member of Artistic Portland Gallery, a cooperative gallery of 24 artists who run, manage and staff the Gallery

Utilizing a variety of techniques in her glass work, she combines torch work, glass powder, glass pieces, and glass paint to create multiple layer pieces. While doing some bead work, lately she has been making more elements to embed in glass. With a vitrigraph kiln, Carlyne creates much of her own cane.

For her fused work, Carlyne uses several layered techniques and confesses to always feeling surprised when the kiln opens. She comments, “Working with glass is fun and challenging and allows me to harness my abundance of energy in a creative way.” She just built a teaching studio and recently started teaching classes in Vitrigraph design, watercolor technique and layered elements.

Carlyne is eager to serve on the Board in 2024. “I have been in the PNW Glass Guild for eight years and served as your webmistress for four and a half years. I look forward to this coming year serving with a wonderful group of volunteers.”

Becky Meinhart is the incoming 2024 PNW Glass Guild Secretary. She is from Gresham, Oregon. Becky’s fascination with fused glass began twenty-five years ago. She was familiar with ‘blown’ glass, having worked for a glass blower while in her teens. However, ‘fusing’ was a new concept she was compelled to learn what it meant to fuse glass. Having shared her intrigue with a friend, she began taking classes, joining the Oregon Glass Guild and learning multiple techniques from some of the finest glass professionals on the planet! She notes, “While the Guild was always a great resource in so many ways, I was privileged to learn from some of the finest artist/teachers: Ann Cavenaugh, Mark Hufford, Alicia Lomne’, Kelly Crosser-Alge, and the list goes on.”

The areas of glass art that interest Becky the most are deep scenery pieces (thank you Ann!), enamels on glass, lighting (which requires collaborating with metal artists), and, more recently, mosaic work. Having experienced many changes in her life, which resulted in a hiatus from glass work for several years, Becky has recently relocated back to Oregon, from Washington, and is setting up her studio and looking forward to creating again.

Becky is excited about serving on the Board. “The PNWGG has been a great organization and I am grateful for the wonderful members I have known over the years and look forward to serving again and meeting new members!”