I recently returned to New York City for an installation of a chandelier created as an heirloom piece for the client’s family. We melted precious metals into the glass as a time capsule preserving the value of our existence now to be forever encased in glass for the future. The glittering glass chandelier is the object around which the connections are made. I am honored as an artist to make such an object for the investment of the family lineage.
My grandmother passed away yesterday. She was one of my biggest fans.

I loved hearing her reactions when I told her of a new project and how she brought photos of my latest installations to share with her Bridge club. I wear a handcrafted gold ring with a diamond of her father’s tie tack, passed through the generations of our family. It is the connection made through the object that makes me feel like a bigger part of the whole.
A couple of days before my Gram’s death, my grandfather wrote me this upon receiving his 89th birthday gift :  “One more connection that points us to the interconnectedness of all that is meaningful in our Universe. I was taught that the Greeks replaced their original concept ‘Chaos’ (which had produced a disorderly, and therefore unknowable Universe) as its prime quality, with ‘Cosmos’ a Universe where everything we encounter is dependent upon its lawful processes. I spent my life in science, where making the connections explicit, is the point of the game. You have spent yours making the connections subtle (both beautiful and meaningful) to human beings.” I hope that by making art, I can make connections of my own and to make objects that help others create meaning on this wonderful journey called life.

Have an inspired day!
–Julie
(named after grandmother Julie Ann Manning Schlesinger)

We never do anything alone.  If you thought you drove yourself to work today– think how you could not have done it without someone who designed and made the car, provided fuel at the petrol station, and even wrote the song that you listened to on the radio.

We can trust that we are all here together sharing our talents and our passions and contributing to the world.

As a glass artist, I have to have trust.   Have faith in the work, the process, the  makers, shippers, & installers, & the team of talented contractors that help me create my vision.

Trust that the furnace has been on consistently @2100F so the glass is melted and ready, and in the ability of the glassblowers to help me execute the best work.

I trust that my clients will enjoy the artwork. Trust that the annealer went into program and the glass comes out perfectly when cool.

Trust that amongst the turning and spinning of a molten liquid, roaring furnaces, and torches and kilns that we are all safe in a potentially dangerous environment.

Once I started thinking about this,  the list went on & on.  I realized that I trust in so many things, circumstances, and people that make up the fabric of my life.  This trust also makes it possible for me to make art.  I am filled with gratitude.

I realized that I actually have a “trust” fund.

I trust that you are inspired by something today.   – Julie

PS-  A big huge thanks to all who contribute to help me bring my artistic visions to reality.

Last week I debarked an overnight flight to find my way via taxi to the apartment in the heart of Manhattan where my chandelier waited for me — sleeping in the custom crates– hopefully intact.

A feeling of joy washes over me as we open the crates to find all glass in perfect condition.   I have a mini- celebration to myself.After the artwork is created, there is an equally creative  and challenging aspect to design the best way to get the glass and all components from A to B.

On site installation is exciting, rewarding and inspiring to see how my work contributes to the whole space and the lifestyle of my clients.
It brings me much gladness to accomplish the work and to meet the people who invested in my artwork.
Stay tuned on my webpage for final installation photos from the past year of projects.   Thanks to all who have contributed to my success in 2012.

Have an inspired day! – Julie

Behind the scenes at Studio Illuminata…. This past week was a push to coordinate all that is needed to ship a complicated light fixture with more than 250 parts to New York.

Once the project is approved, I am in action speaking with welders, glassmakers, metal finishers, UL wiring shops, ordering color, fittings, findings and materials.

WIth the team of glassblowers in place, and furnaces booked, we work with the intention of convincing this 2100F molten lava to become a chandelier.      Down to the last minute when the custom crates arrived to pack, I was putting the finishing touches on the piece.

The illuminated glass will sparkle and shine and in the end that is all that matters.  Art is made.  I am a maker.

Stay tuned on my webpage for final installation photos from NYC.
Have an inspired day!

– Julie

I think it is healthy to deconstruct one’s patterns and replace them with new fresh perspectives.  That is exactly what (unexpectedly) happened while taking a glass workshop with Maestro Roger Parramore.  I spent 4 days completely revisiting how I make glass–literally, with new hand techniques and skills; and creatively, with new inspirations and aspirations.

Roger’s teachings brought glass to a new level for me.  Although I have been aware that I am part of the deep lineage of glassmakers for 5000 years of it’s existence, Silicon Dioxide the elements of glass have been around for billions of years.  It is more alchemical and mystical than I thought.

Going back to practice some fundamentals opened up a whole new perspective on the universe.  Sometimes one new trick can influence an entire body of work.

I am inspired to see how this manifests into creating objects of beauty, function, design, expression and desire.  The world has many mysteries and we only scratch the surface of such deep substances like glass that has existed for millennia and will continue to exist long after our lifetime.

Have an inspired day!

I apologize for my hiatus as I was packing up my studio and moving out to Seattle, Washington!
The transition has been a huge endeavor involving many boxes of glass & loads of bubble wrap, but I have found myself in one of the best glass communities in the world!
I am now working with fabulous glassmaking teams to help me execute my large pieces.  The timing and coordination needed to make hot glass is an artmaking dance with molten fire.

I am also a new faculty member of Pratt Fine Arts and LOVING it!  I am thrilled to be part of the family at Pratt.
We have an upcoming auction and party celebrating 30 years of artmaking @ Pratt.  
Click here for more info and attend the event on May 5.

I am equipped with not only the best shops and teams, but packers and shippers that can bring art glass to any corner of the world.
All glassworks and art glass lighting is signed and dated by the artist– moi! It is part of the ILLUMINATA collection.

Get in touch to chat about custom art glass!

Julie Conway 
Studio Illuminata

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New Contact Info:
Studio:1952 1st Ave South #3
Seattle, WA 98134
(206) 623 1420

Contrast and unexpected effect are elemental in my design process.   My glassworks reflect these natural tensions in our universe.  I enjoy the contradictory effect of combining raw industrial material with the smooth elegance of blown glass.   Or perhaps interrupting the surface of glass with sandblasting or metallic coatings.

Creating effect in a space is the goal of great lighting.   Helping us feel at one with our world is the goal of making great art.

Function meets sculpture with the NEST pendant light.     All glassworks and art glass lighting is signed and dated by the artist– moi!

I would be happy to discuss any projects you have in mind that call for unique glasswork.

Transform your interior space with custom glass lighting and site-specific glass installations.

Have an inspired day!

It can be heart-wrenching when you drop a piece after hours of work, and it can be thrilling to open the kiln to discover a new color combination.   As a glass artist, I stay in the moment where glass is transforming from a liquid to a solid, and I am there to guide it into shape with my breath.

People on our planet have been making glass for over 4000 years.  I am honored to be a glass maker in the lineage of this great history.   I am inspired by nature, contemporary design, and ancient traditional glass- making techniques.   I love world travel and have spent time learning my skills from glass masters from Italy, Turkey  the Czech Republic, and the US.  I am influenced by my contemporary colleagues and by my mentors.

I appreciate the talented glassmakers and accomplished metalsmiths that help me to create my work.  I am very grateful to work with such creative clients who admire my work and allow me to bring it into the world.

Creating glass art is my passion.  Designing functional glass art is my business.How can I help you to transform your interior space  with site-specific glass installations?

Have an inspired day!

One of the best parts about my business is the challenge to create something unique for a specific location, and bring transformation to the space.

What is my process?  How do I make the project a success?

I collaborate with architects, designers & clients to bring my glassmaking and design skills to meet their desires.

Each project has its own complexity that allows me to draw from previous experiences and to invent new creations.

By tuning into the surrounding environment, I am able to create a solution for my clients and transform interior spaces with glass and light.

Please contact me if you would like further information about any of my art glass and custom lighting.  Each piece is a functional, collectible piece of lighted sculpture signed by me, the artist.

I can work from any location with material samples, colors, and architectural plans.

Have an inspired day!

Pioggia  custom commissioned by Leyla Hilmi Design in California