We recently connected with Diane C. Taylor and have shared our conversation below.
Diane, appreciate you joining us today. Let’s jump to the end – what do you want to be remembered for?
In my travels in New Mexico, I helped a friend from Tucson who now lives in Las Cruces find a couple of galleries there; one worked well, one turned out to be a dud.
In some cases, I’ve recruited artists to groups that might be of special interest to them. Here especially I think of the International Association of Astronomical Artists, to which I belong. An artist in a gallery with me did some terrific space paintings and sculptures. Based on my suggestion, she joined IAAA and then participated in Spacefest, where her sculptures sold out.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I’ve been fusing glass since 2003. From jewelry I’ve progressed to bowls, plates, tiles, small sculptures, wall pieces. I put decorative glass pieces on recycled wood boxes. The main thing I tell all my collectors, especially those who buy jewelry: they are my quality control. If something goes wrong for any reason, they are asked to get in touch so I can repair or replace the item. I’ve done some commissions and would be happy to do more. One involved making 20 tiles in a slightly smaller format than I usually work. At the end, the collector was quite happy — and the tiles look great in her bathroom. The tiles that were not quite right for her use I put on a table top — which the same collector ended up buying.
Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?
I began by making jewelry — and always wearing it. My email list of about 400 is built from women seeing and remarking on my jewelry. At shows, I collect email addresses from anyone who expresses interest in my work (and who’s willing to give me their email). I don’t understand artists who say they make jewelry, then don’t wear it themselves. I am my best advertisement. My collectors are my second-best advertisers, and I value them very much.
Any fun sales or marketing stories?
I kept hearing stories, mostly by men, of how they’d taken on some impossible glass project and managed to make it work. A few years ago, I ended up at Spacefest, a gathering of early astronauts and space enthusiasts in Tucson, talking to Bruce McCandless, the astronaut seen floating free in space back in 1984. I mentioned that I fused glass, and he asked if I ever made bolo ties. “Oh, sure,” I said, having never made one before. He said he’d like one. I went home, fused some turquoise dichroic glass to some black glass, rushed the next day to the local high-end silver store to get the leather strings, tips and slide for the back, put it together and the day after that took it to McCandless. He liked it, bought it, put it on and wore it the rest of the last day of Spacefest. I heard from other sources later that it was his favorite and he always got a lot of compliments when he wore it.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://www.dianesfusedglass.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dianesfusedglass/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dianesfusedglass
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dianectaylor/
Image Credits
Image of Diane C. Taylor by Lyn Ballam All other photos: Diane C. Taylor