About the Artist

Hi, I’m Ariel and I’m a glass artist born and raised in San Diego, California. I received my initial glass instruction at Palomar College in 2015, then moved on to create from my home studio nearby. In 2022 I moved from SoCal to DownEast Maine where I currently reside and continue my artwork.

From an early age, exposure to installation art, particularly seeing the creation of a Tibetan Mandala, which is created painstakingly by monks for days with colored sand as a meditative practice, then swept away when finished, led me to become fascinated with the temporary nature of this creative expression. Of particular interest to me is how our minds can hold a special value for the process of creating something fleeting. 

Once introduced to the art of Shibari, or Japanese rope bondage, I immediately connected with its strong sense of beauty in the moment as well as the vulnerability and intimacy inherent in the art. It is a focused process of spending hours lovingly tying a body like a complicated present, only to untie it all minutes later, leaving nothing but rope marks and photographs. The value lies in the experience. 

Currently I use a propane and oxygen powered torch to sculpt and form molten borosilicate glass into human figures, a process called flameworking. Once cool, I bind them with tiny rope using classic knots and ties on a miniature scale. The strength yet fragility of subject matter and medium is a juxtaposition that is fundamental to my creative vision. These mixed media pieces seek to manifest that ephemeral experience into wearable keepsakes that both evoke emotion and start conversation. 

Thank you for coming to my page and supporting my work. As all of my art is one of a kind, all sales are final.