Featured Artist: Rae Williamson, Leduc Alberta

Hello from sunny Alberta … home of the Wild Rose. Located just ten minutes from the Edmonton International Airport, we relocated to Leduc in the summer of 2023.

My glass interested started in 2010 when we were holidaying in Quartzite Arizona shortly after retiring from my day job as Director of Human Resources for the City of White Rock.

We joined the local Rock and Gem Club and started taking classes in everything they had to offer.

Memories of Spring

I kept hearing about this amazing woman named Greta and finally got to meet her. I enrolled in her beginners glass class and discovered dicrohic glass…it was just as sparkly as all the rocks we had been grinding in the lapidary shop. I was hooked from day one and Greta and I became best friends. When I returned to Canada I did not have anyone to keep my learning going so spent hours on the internet and Facebook connecting with other glass artists who were willing to help with my journey. I am forever grateful to them.

I discovered that I love to experiment and without any formal art training, did not know what I was supposed or not supposed to do so pushed a lot of limits. My husband still sometimes ask me if I am really going to make something or just play. In my quest for learning I have experimented with just about every process and technique out there.

I had the pleasure of hanging out with Dennis Brady (Glass Campus and Victorian Art Glass) who also loves to experiment so sometimes we were like two mad scientists. An example was when I was testing enamels for him. We mixed them with so many mediums including Murphy’s oil soap and liquid shortening…glad he was the one who had to fire them as the stink was awful but we had interesting results. I joined him in Las Vegas as his TA at the Glass and Bead Expo show…loved the experience but it was exhausting.

Poppy Fields

Spring Bear

Here’s Looking At You

Angel of Death

One of my visits to Portland, Greta took me to a Guild Board meeting and I was so happy to find an organization that had such great glass artists and best of all, they invited me to join them…it has been a wonderful experience. I have served in the role of Membership Director and a member of the newsletter team. I am not an active seller as I love donating my work to the various charities I belong to or support.

I have taken courses from artists such as Kelly Crosser Alge, Cheryl Chapman, Marguerite Beneke, Evelyn Gottschall Baker, Bob Leatherburrow, Alice Benvie Gebhart to name a few. Currently I am studying with Narcissus Qualiatia who is an incredible, creative master of glass. My next course will be with Derek Hunt…I love learning as much as I love experimenting.

Sunflower

Connections Across the Universe

Bruno

My teaching involves students who are interested in learning all aspects of glass which makes for wonderful long term relationships. Recently I introduced my Leduc students to my Vancouver Island students. We decided to do a new project each month together. This month’s project is a creation using glass leaves…lots of freeze and fuse, casting, grinding, and painting happening.

Glass Maple Leaf

Autumn Pleasure