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

Alright, Ilanit thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?

For as long as I can remember I have always been drawn to art. From a young age I loved to create, not necessary drawing, but any kind of creating. In middle school, the school counselor recommended I move to art school, but fear paralyzed me . I thought I was not good enough, because I didn’t know how to draw.
In my early 30s I got another opportunity to pursue my passion of creating. I moved from Israel to Portland, OR. From the moment I arrived I was exposed to a lot of glass art. The colors, the way the art played with opacity and transparency, it captivated me.
I decided to take a 3 hour introduction class to fused glass. I totally fell in love with the medium and found myself driving to that studio every day to explore more. About a year later, my family relocated again, this time to San Diego, CA. That is where I started to build my own studio. I started small, creating small pieces like jewelry, plates, and vases, took more local classes, and enjoyed every minute of it. I was finally creating, like I had always wanted.
In 2010 I got the opportunity to build a public art installation that took me out of my comfort zone, and I soon found myself applying to a real school for glass. Not only that, but I was accepted for their prestigious summer program. The moment I walked through the gate to that campus, all my fears disappeared. I felt home. I felt alive.
Three weeks of intensive work with glass, surrounded by another 100 glass artists from around the world challenged me and brought me to the next level. The next couple of summers I devoted myself to education and growth in my field. I worked with more masters from around the world and was even chosen as one of the artists to be featured at Art Prize San Diego.
In 2018 two of my sculptures got selected to prestigious shows: One was a finalist at Bullseye glass E-Merge show and the second one was published in the Corning Museum magazine Glass Art Review.
Throughout this whole process, I have also been sharing the magic of fused glass with children and adults alike with my work as an art teacher. Facilitating their own creation and sharing my favorite medium with so many people has only made my passion for glass stronger.
I only hope that my story can inspire others the way I have been inspired by my peers and my students.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

I was born in the 70’s in Haifa, Israel, to a dad that owns a business and a stay at home mom that raised our family. As one of 4 siblings, we were all kids involved in our fathers entrepreneur business. It was not until I moved to Portland Oregon that I had the opportunity to explore my own path.

Moving away was a hard choice, but one that when I look back has been amazing. It took just one glass class that I took in Portland, to put me on my new path. It allowed me to start my own life and explore my own passions and dreams.

I am very close to my family and travel back often to Israel. I now reside in San Diego and have a wonderful blended family with my husband. We have 4 kids between us from 16 to 22. When I am not focussed on teaching and creating my glass art, we travel and enjoy time with our kids and dog.

: Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

My mission is to bring fused glass to as many people as I can, teach them about the medium and make it more accessible to those that do not normally have the ability to surround themselves with art.

In order to make it happen, I’m teaching workshops all over southern CA. I travel to many locations and do group classes. Together we make any small fused glass product that the class has planned to make. We have make platters, holiday decorations, picture frames and more. Standing in front of a room and teaching gives me inspiration and motivation.

In the last 2 years I also developed a new product called GlassKit. You can choose and order your favorite kit from my website. You can make many different items such as coasters, mezuzah, candy dish, jewelry, ornaments and much more. Take a look at my website at: https://ilanitshalev.com/glasskit/. All the materials are included in the GlassKit; box as well as instructions and a return label. After you create your project you’ll ship it back for firing in the kiln. When your project is done I’ll ship it back to you. It’s a great way to try and work with this medium. The results are phenomenal and you create memories through glass art.

I want to make working with glass a comfortable medium for all ages. I have students as young as 6 and teach amazing adult classes to those over 80.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

As an artist I can have a dialogue with the viewer through the art. I don’t need to express myself with words but with colors, shapes and materials. I find it fascinating that each one of us can look at the same object and take it to a different place. When I’m working with my students I try to expose them to many materials and ask them to tell their stories. The world of art is so rich and there is always room for more creation.

The whole point of art is expression. Glass can be played with in so many ways that its my goal to allow everyone to come up with new ideas on how to use glass.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://ilanitshalev.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ilanit_shalev_art_company/?hl=en
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ilanitshalevartcompany/?ref=pages_you_manage
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ilanit-shalev-09aa0822/

Image Credits
Andy Marcus Photography