Cracked with Chevonne Ariss

WOWOWOW welcome to 2023!   Shout out to all my hobbyists listening, this episode is for you because not all artists need to sell what they make and honestly the hobbyists make up the majority of my listeners so I was stoked to have that conversation represented here too.  Sara Strickler is today’s guest and she is from Virginia, but currently lives on a small island called Alameda in the Bay Area...

Hello and welcome back to Cracked with Chevonne Ariss! Today’s very sweet and lovely guest is Nik Sanders of Hepzibar Button. Her botanical Scandinavian inspired leaded glass work also incorporates very detailed glass painting. Like many of us, stained glass is something she came too after having children and a whole other long career. Before she was a full time glass artist, for over fifteen year...

Hello all and welcome back to Cracked with Chevonne Ariss! Today’s guest for episode 35 is Los Angeles artist Timo Fahler.  Timo uses plaster, ceramics, steel, wood, and found objects to construct highly visual and culturally significant works. Combining formal elements of sculpture with references to his heritage, Fahler’s work explores ideas of use and reuse through casting and manipulating foun...

Hello friends and welcome back to Cracked with Chevonne Ariss! Now I’ve got my eyes on a lot of glass artists and I’ve seen a lot of really cool ideas and unique projects but it’s rare that I find an artist who every time I check in on their social media and they can surprise me with something different. Kerbi Urbanowski is her name, and if that sounds familiar it’s because she was nominated by Ja...

 Trained as an architect, Josephine A. Geiger’s glass art is inspired by hidden depths in the landscape. These scenes are distilled into a bold palette of rectangles and squares of colored light as she translates a photo or sketch with an Impressionistic eye, capturing the essence of the subject. Josephine’s process is organically linear, adding, shifting, flipping, or removing glass elements unti...

For today’s episode of Cracked I had the pleasure of speaking with Chicago artist Ben Houtkamp of Ben’s Website.  Ben has one of the most recognizable styles I have seen to date. His brightly colored pieces are reminiscent of childhood nostalgia, video games and puzzles. His work is happy. and we all need more happy. I’m a Big Ben fan and I think you will be too. To see more of Ben’s work, his ins...

Today’s guest is Jaclyn Miller of Assembly Glassworks.  She is a contemporary stained glass artist working and living in Arvada, CO. Originally from Orlando, FL, Jaclyn earned her BA in Art and Art History with a concentration in Mixed Media from Stetson University. She has explored many mediums since then, most notably minicomics and illustration, which continue to inform her approach to  her gla...

This episode’s official marker is Season 3 Episode 30… uh huh that’s right Lucky #30 and we are so lucky because I get to share with you all my chat with Brooklyn artist Kelsie McNair of Soft Shapes. Soft  Shapes is all about P L A Y. Kelsie chooses colors that are fun, clever, and exciting to create shapes that remind us of the sweet and simple pleasures.  She’s wise beyond her years, and one of...

Hello and welcome back to Cracked SEASON 3. To kick this season off I’m joined by Derek Hunt. He does it all…  Not only reputable and respected conservation work, but also beautiful and thoughtful new glass work for public buildings, schools, theaters, restaurants, libraries and hospitals. His work can be seen through out the United Kingdom and beyond. He's also one of the warmest people I&ap...

As you know, at the end of all my episode’s I always ask my guest what their 5-10 year goals are. It’s been interesting…majority of the time, artists that are known for making smaller pieces say they would like to make larger pieces and get into more installation work and artists that make larger pieces say they would like to come back to making the smaller pieces they started with. Like many of y...

Today I’m speaking with Megan McElfresh from the Stained Glass Association of America. This will be her second appearance on Cracked. Her first episode with us was released November 23rd of last year, Episode 12, Season 1 and if you haven’t listened to that one yet, after today’s shorty go back and visit that one because it was one of the most important and informative episodes we’ve had, with the...

In 1897, The Judson Studios was established in Los Angeles by the painter and professor William Lees Judson and his three sons. Helmed by Walter Horace, the eldest son and a stained glass expert, the Studios thrived from the start, beautifying the booming metropolis with works that represented the best in traditional and modern design. Today, Judson is the oldest family-run stained glass studio in...

Can you even hear the words “copper foil overlay" and not know who Margo Marquette is? I don’t think it’s possible! Usually when I mention her name it’s met with a sharp inhale and some head shaking while words are searched for to express shock at the insane detail she’s able to create.  Her work reminds me a little bit of of shadow puppets, a lot of fables and folklore, and all timeless ench...

Today I’m joined by stained glass designer & maker Lena Zaycman who is based in St. Petersburg, Russia. After working on large scale stained glass installations alongside her sister, she continued her practice refining her own style, where she’s focused on the idea of hassle-free installation by making absolutely independent objects that can easily be displayed anywhere. She’s created a fantas...

Today I’m speaking with Lauren Puckett. She’s an artist with an adventurous spirit and a love of flying airplanes. She just recently returned to the states from the University of Edinburgh in Scotland where she was working on her PhD in glass and now, she’s currently in a residency at the McColl Center in Charlotte, North Carolina. The sky’s the limit for this artist and pilot, but where she’s cur...

Today I’m joined by Colleen Newcomb, the one woman show behind Wildlight Glassworks. She was born, raised and joins us from the bluegrass region of Kentucky. Colleen’s worked in many different mediums, but in 2016 she found herself moving away from the world of sign making and street art and into the world of glass. She’s a self taught artist and most of her the inspiration for her work comes from...

 In episode 21, we get to take a peek into the mind and studio of Tyler Kimball, cover artist for the SGQ's most recent summer issue and owner of Monarch Glass. Born and raised in Kansas City, Tyler has gone to all lengths to bring great glass art to the Kansas City area as well as creating installation art and gift glass alike for places and people around the globe. He had worked in almost 6...

Today in episode 20 we’re taking a real meander with glass artist Judith Schaechter. With a glass career that spans 40 years, Judith is one of the most celebrated and decorated glass artists of our time and a force to be reckoned with. She’s a LEGEND. Today she’s got some incredible resources to share with us for anyone wanting to get into the elusive gallery world and we dig into her very unique...

Hey hey welcome to episode 19 of Season 2 of Cracked with Chevonne Ariss! Today, I’m speaking with Anika Van Der Merwe who’s joining us from Cape Town, South Africa. Traditional or Classical to homes or workplaces, her studio Silverstain Glass is bringing glass beauty into the world with a range of techniques.  Anika has that great freedom of expression in stained glass that I admire so much. Beca...

Hi hello hello and we're back!!!   To kick Season 2 off, I'm interviewing Amber Droste. She is a classically trained painter with a BFA in Painting and Art History from Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, NY, and a Masters Degree in Painting from Washington University in St. Louis. She spent a year abroad studying painting and fresco restoration at the Art Institute of Florence in Florence, Ita...

Today on Ep 17. of Cracked I’m joined by Sheila Szilagyi Noseworthy! This part glass artist, part glass engineer  and glass architect recently appeared as a competitor on the very first stained glass competition show ever on Discovery Plus, The Meet Your Maker Showdown. From glass clutches, to surfboards, to wearable shoes to bridal bouquets, this artist knows no glass ceiling for what’s possible...

In episode 16 I'm joined by Flora Jamieson of The Round Window. Flora is a stained glass artist who takes on a wide variety of stained glass commissions as well as her own contemporary designs. Her personal style is inspired by graphic design, the natural world, organic forms and geometric patterns. Color palettes are bold yet simple, lead lines are meticulous and purposeful and patterns are...

Ep. 15 - Today I'm joined by Meggy Wilm of Colorado Glassworks! This Californian turned Coloradan turned Californian and now back to Colorado has a business mind and an artist's heart. When not hustling at her day job brokering movie promotions for Warner Brothers, this dicro glass queen has her eyes set on carving her own unique glass paved career path. We'll chat all about finding...

Ep. 14 - As an artist, there’s so much mystery around copyright and trademarking your designs and it can all feel very overwhelming, so today I’m talking to a lawyer who specializes in exactly this. Her name is Nicole Swartz and she’s going to clear up some of the misconceptions out there and answer your questions. I won’t be making a habit of having guests that aren’t stained glass artists but I...

In ep. 13 I'm joined by Aaron Bernardi and Jarod Crews who together are Cellar Door Trades! Both Navy veterans who met in Virginia Beach,  Aaron is an air craft mechanic turned  woodworker and Jarod is a stylist turned stained glass artist. They're now married and working together in Savannah, Georgia. Spending 24/7 together would be a lot for any couple, so today Jarod and Aaron share t...