Spotlight on Carol Routh
Where to begin? Glass has transformed my life. More specifically, the people I have met through glass have transformed my life. I’m a jack-of-all-trades and a master of none. I have no personal style or claim to fame. I have freed myself of the obligation to “support my hobby” and am happily working on whatever motivates me at the moment – mostly classes I’m taking. Sometimes I look at beads I made several years ago and ask, “did I make that? Really?”.
Credit or blame goes to Bullseye. I live in Portland, OR. In the early 90’s they had a wonderful program of free public events featuring the best glass artists from around the world. I never missed one. In 1994 they sponsored a “Warm Glass Conference”, (I think that’s what it was called) – my first fusing experience. That was interrupted by starting a backpack manufacturing business with my son.
Some years later, I heard about a bead making class at a local studio, Aquila. I took classes, got discouraged, tried again. Pretty sporadic. But then … by a complete fluke, I heard about the “Molten Experience”. I was quick enough to register for the 2015 event in Whistler, BC! My life changed!
Being among so many warm, welcoming, accomplished, supportive, fun glass artists was magical! Thanks to meeting Alexx Cheng there, I visited Thailand with a group of 10 which included 9 different nationalities! Not just ancestors, but actually born there!
Since then, I bought equipment from the Aquila studio and set up in my garage. I’ve taken classes from Corina Tettinger (I was so over my head then), Joy Munshower (I fell in love with making chickens and parrots), JC Herrell (for the challenge of stringer), and Astrid Riedel (because everything she does is over-the-top gorgeous). The online classes have been marvelous sanity-savers.
The ISGB, ASGB, Glass Dragons, Heat Freaks … so many opportunities, so little time! Keeping up with the challenges is exciting.
In my previous lifetimes I have been a junior high English teacher, a stoneware potter, a spinner/dyer/weaver, and lover of fine craft. For 14 years, I raised llamas and took them backpacking. I walked the Camino de Santiago, fire walked twice, and this summer slept all alone under the stars in the wilderness. It’s hard to find time for the reading I’d like to do. I raised two kids – without killing my headstrong bulldozer son! Gold stars for that!
I’ve done a little bit of a lot of things, usually enough to get fairly decent at it and then something else comes along.
