“I work at translating and elevating the average, day-to-day into an enthusiastic and energetic celebration. Glass is the media that reveals this natural vibrancy to its utmost. I enjoy the technique of using glass to create something that is both abstract and literal.

“As an artist, Alice Benvie-Gebhart’s goal is to visually communicate using kiln-fired glass. She states that the fluid nature of melting glass adds an energy and organic feeling to her work. After she cuts the colored glass, layers it, then puts it in the kiln, the colors combine and it seems as if the glass is reborn. When she opens the kiln, a new creation comes from her mind’s eye AND the psyche of the glass and kiln is presented. Choosing the colors in sheet glass and glass powder, (the colors are not painted on, but are from the glass itself) which enhance the mood of the image is an intuitive ritual. She cuts and layers the brilliant colored opaque and transparent glass in a collage-type arrangement to simply and unceremoniously depict her plan. The pile of glass pieces is then placed in the kiln for firing which melts and melds the glass together and Alice experiences a certain abandonment of control over the outcome. She opens the kiln the next day to a new and exciting birth of an art form. The idea from which she started and the direction the glass chooses, leads to an expression that becomes her narrative. The fusing process, (firing from 1250-1500 degrees) is repeated, often several times, until the desired effect is achieved. After, often up to four firings, the finishing touches of black scraffito lines and flowing lines of 23 carat gold are applied to the surface and the glass is put in the kiln for its final firing.

Alice Benvie-Gebhart has her Bachelor and Masters degrees in Art Education with a concentration in painting and printmaking. She worked as a teacher and painter for many years before discovering fused glass. She now works in kiln-fired glass exclusively.