A dedication to storytelling through glass
- Paula creates both large scale and intimate pieces of sensuous glass art
- Her pieces explore strength, sensitivity and her Irish roots
- She is a co-founder and curator at METHOD Gallery in Seattle
Paula Stokes is an Irish glass artist with a long history of creating intimate, luscious and visually appealing pieces. In recent years, she developed her craft and created arresting large scale public art with a socio-political context. Paula studied in Ireland and the UK before moving to the USA to pursue glassblowing as a career. Taught by influential teachers including Dale Chihuly, Flora Mace and Joey Kirkpatrick, she has become a skilled craftsperson and a savvy business manager, understanding what it takes to deliver ambitious works at scale. Paula’s most recent project called 1845: Memento Mori saw these skills combine into a powerful installation. “The piece, 15 years in the making, is made of 1,845 hand blown glass potatoes piled into a cairn,” she says. “It is dedicated to the 19th century Irish Potato Famine.” It was shown in poignant locations across America and Ireland and has been acquired by the National Museum of Ireland.
Interview
- When did you first encounter glassmaking?
- I discovered glassmaking when I was a student at the National College of Art & Design in Ireland in 1988. I then moved to Brierley Hill in the UK to study at the International Glass Centre. Things really took off for me in 1993 when I moved to Seattle to pursue a career in glass.
- Which aspects of your craft do you find challenging?
- Working with hot glass requires great stamina and concentration. It is physically and mentally demanding. It takes years of practice and a lot of patience and humility to acquire the skills to execute ideas.
- What stands out to you about working with glass?
- Glass is more than a material: it is also a community. I have received amazing opportunities and am always trying to give something back. I have taught, run a gallery and now work on Refract, an annual festival that celebrates the glassmaking industry of the Pacific Northwest.
- What has the highlight of your career been so far?
- It was when my piece 1845: Memento Mori was added to the permanent collection of the National Museum of Ireland. It was incredible for me: it is a huge honour and it seems fitting for the work’s final home to be the national collection of the country that inspired it.
Paula Stokes is a master artisan: she began her career in 1991 and she started teaching in 1995
Where
Paula Stokes
