Featured Artist: LuDell Parrett, Salem OR

I began my love of, and obsession for, glass in the late 1970s while taking stained glass and advanced stained glass in college as I earned my fine art degree. I then went on to higher education and became an Occupational Therapist and practiced for 36 years.

I did not engage in glass art again until 8 years ago; when as a family, we took a one-evening fused glass class and created very simple projects. This rekindled my desire to create with the amazing medium that is glass. Since that time, I have procured a medium, a large and a vitrigraph kiln and happily utilize them consistently.

I began doing Glass on Glass (GOG) Mosaics independently, utilizing some fused elements in my mosaics. I fell in love with this form of capturing the permanence and yet fragility of glass art. The play of light and color is the stuff of magic. I was blessed to happen upon the amazing resources of Marvelous Mosaic Fine Art and Kory Dollar of Deer Island, Oregon. I took a weekend workshop that upped my skills beyond my imagining! I have taken many more courses from Kory Dollar and continue to learn from her.

I assisted Kory Dollar with teaching classes in Las Vegas this April at the Glass and Bead Craft Expo. While at the GBCE event I entered one of my GOG mosaics, “In the Cool of the Evening” in the competition and I won First Place for Judge’s Choice and People’s Choice in the amateur category. I am grateful for all I have learned from Kory Dollar, and if you are wanting to expand your glass skills – I encourage you to experience a retreat at Marvelous Mosaic Fine Art.

A couple of years ago I retired from medical and corporate work and am now a very happy full-time Glass Artisan. I create fused glass, vitrigraph and Glass on Glass art, and now do commissioned pieces. I find much pleasure in creating inclusions from pulling vitrigraph, then cutting and re-fusing it again to make flat-backed pieces to use in mosaics. I also am teaching small groups of 6 or less at my home studio in the beautiful woods outside of Salem, Oregon. My studio name is “The Welcoming Woods”. You can find me on Facebook as The Welcoming Woods, and Instagram @thewelcomingwoods or in the Members’ gallery.