becky snider

https://www.SniderArtworks.com

SniderArtworks@outlook.com

Artist Statement

I have always loved learning about art and enjoy the process of making art as much or more than the piece of art I create.  I relish time in my studio, experimenting with new techniques, tools and materials while listening to music or NPR on the radio. Often, I develop my glass pieces by selecting a component I've made in a class or in my studio and creating a composition around that initial component.  Other pieces are inspired by nature, stories or songs I hear on the radio or tv, photographs I’ve taken or seen or experiences from my life.  For me, working in glass is exciting because there is always an element of surprise when you open the kiln after a firing.  Even if a piece doesn’t turn out the way I wanted, I am always fascinated by how the colors blend together or react with each other, how the glass melts, slumps or drops at different temperatures, and the many ways a piece looks under different lighting conditions. 

Bio

Throughout my childhood, my mother painted and worked in numerous fiber arts.  As I became interested in art, she shared her painting supplies and canvases, bought me crafting kits, and took my along when she went to painting classes at a local art studio.  In high school, I took art classes from, and was mentored by, a bronze sculptor and got involved with backstage activities in the drama department. 

I have a Bachelor of Arts in Studio Art and Dramatic Art from Mills College and an MFA in Theatre Technology from the University of Texas at Austin.  After graduate school, I worked in professional theatre, designing lighting for numerous theatre and dance productions, supervising backstage activities for Houston Grand Opera and Portland Opera, and taught lighting design and stagecraft at Stephens College in Columbia, Missouri.  After years of working countless nights and weekends in dark theatres, I decided I was ready to pursue a new career. With the support of my wife, Karen, I went back to school and earned a PhD in Environmental Design from the University of Missouri – Columbia.  This graduate work focused on historic preservation.  For my dissertation, I combined my theatrical experience with my historic preservation studies to research the key components to success in renovating historic theatres. While working on my PhD, I also began renovating houses.  For more than a decade, I operated my own historic preservation consulting business and ran a contracting business doing home renovations and building homes.   

In 2009, my wife took a job with the National Science Foundation and we moved to Maryland.  Since moving to Maryland, I have continued my contracting work renovating the home we purchased and reviving my artistic pursuits.

My interest in working with glass was sparked when I attended a gallery show of large glass sculptures. Inspired, I initially intended to pull out the tools I had kept from a stained- glass class I took in college, take a refresher course, and start making stained glass panels again.  However, in the process of looking for classes, I discovered The Art Glass Studio at Glen Echo.  Shortly after attending the First Time Fusers class, I bought a small kiln and set up a home studio.  Three additional kilns later, my studio now takes up a significant portion of our basement. 

I have taken glass classes at Weisser Glass Studio, Vitrum Studios, The Studio at The Corning Museum of Glass, Pittsburgh Glass Studio and Anything in Stained Glass.  Each class has been a wonderful learning experience and a great way to meet other glass artists. I am a member of the James Renwick Alliance, the Corning Museum of Glass and Pittsburgh Glass Studio. Currently, I am the Vice-President of the National Capital Art Glass Guild and am in charge of organizing speakers and events for our monthly meetings.