We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Barb Byrne. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Barb below.

Barb, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

Years before I began my journey into the world of fused glass, I lived on a 300-acre property near the Gasconade River in central Missouri, I was blessed to be surrounded by the beauty of nature and wildlife on a daily basis. I developed a love and appreciation for my surroundings, but had no idea then how that experience would affect my life when we moved to the much less rural Kansas City area. On a whim, a took a fused glass workshop just because I didn’t know what fused glass was. I thought it would be fun to learn something new. Within a few months I was hooked! After about a year, I had an opportunity to test a tutorial written by a fellow glass artist that showed how to create a kitty face using crushed glass powder. This kitty was by far the most meaningful project I’ve worked on! It laid the foundation for the passion I now have for creating wildlife and nature scenes using glass powder. Even though I do create other things in glass, my passion for powder work continues to grow. With each new piece I create, I can see how far I’ve come on my glass journey over the years.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I am a “late-in-life” glass artist. I have been involved in some sort of craft activity for as far back as I can remember. I made all my own clothes when I was in high school and continued making clothes for myself and my family as a young adult. I dabbled in embroidery and tapestry work for several years and then did furniture upholstery and furniture refinishing as a side business while I taught disabled and deaf high school students. When my husband and I became self-employed contract management trainers and training writers, we moved to the 300-acre property and my side hobby became basket weaving and weaving baby and doll cradles. I made a full size baby cradle for my first grandchild, who is now 23 years old.

Since we had so much acreage, we did a lot of vegetable growing for local farmers markets and one year I grew some hard-shelled gourds. I learned about a group of artists who worked with gourds – painting, carving, wood burning, and weaving on them – so I joined a gourd artist group and started weaving on the rims of gourds. I continued my gourd art until we moved to the Kansas City area where I discovered fused glass. Once I was hooked on glass, I came to believe that all of my previous endeavors led me to this point where I now find myself.

I think what sets me apart from others is the variety of experiences I have had that prepared me for the kind of art I am doing now. I am most proud of the fact that I started this glass journey at the age of 63 and now, 13 years later, I am a better artist than I dreamed I could ever be. I continue to explore this fascinating art form. experimenting with new techniques and perfecting my glass powder work in the hopes that Barb Byrne Glass will become my proud legacy.

Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

I think there is a wealth of knowledge out there for creatives that was not necessarily available to me earlier in my journey. It has been a steep learning curve for me as an older artist to learn the ins and outs of social media and how to use the various platforms effectively. I do think knowing about them earlier would have been of benefit to me. That being said, it has been an awesome learning experience to learn to use these platforms.

I think it’s critical for small business owners and creatives to investigate all the avenues available to help them grow. There are numerous organizations that artists can belong to, workshops to take advantage of, and online programs available on such topics as marketing and development that go a long way to make the path easier for businesses and artists. But it does take time and commitment to find and take advantage of those things.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

My mission is to become the best artist I can be and to expand and develop my skills in glass, while trying new techniques. I believe many people, artists included, have very little idea of what is entailed in the fused glass process. I strive to educate my audience and my followers about the glass process through social media posts in the hopes that they will fall in love with glass art as I have. The greatest compliment I could wish for is that they will love it enough to purchase one of my pieces for themselves or to give as a gift.

I have set goals for myself that revolve around having my work accepted in shows and exhibits, winning awards for my work in shows and exhibits, becoming a juried artist in important art organizations, and having my work showcased and sold in retail galleries. So far I have met all of those goals and I sincerely hope to continue that trend.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://www.barbbyrneglass.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/barbbyrneglass
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BarbByrneGlass
• Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/BarbByrneGlass
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9H7FDrfkyqElhY5qsJ1rVg
• Other: PBS Video – aired on November 3, 2022 https://player.pbs.org/viralplayer/3074153558/