Sharon Gilbert - Glass Artist
 
 

"Glass contradicts. In its molten form it runs like honey. When it's cold it is a solid that shimmers light. It has movement and resistance, opacity and translucence. It is smooth and it is sharp. It is patient and it is urgent. Glass is an infinite, now immediate and ever emergent."

Sharon Gilbert came to glass the way most great love affairs begin·quite by accident. In 1986 Gilbert was finishing up her B.F.A. in Graphic design at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. It was during her last semester that she took an elective course in glass blowing. The rest, as they, is history. From the moment she touched hot glass, Gilbert fell under its spell. For the next two years she studied under Bill Carlson learning the technical limitations of glass. She studied at Pilchuck Glass School in Seattle, Washington, and at Penland Craft School in North Carolina. After mastering the essentials, Sharon continued on to Ohio State University to undertake graduate studies with installation artist Richard Harned. During those years she learned the grace of integrating glass with functional design and architecture. Gilbert opened her first glass studio, Arkivit, Inc. in 1990 and her second studio Talisman Glass Studio, Inc. in 1992. Since the inception of the Talisman studio, Gilbert has focused on site specific work for architects and designers. Public works in the Chicago area include The Equitable Building Plaza on Michigan Avenue, the United Center Locker Room Club and various restaurants including Grapes, Mango and Rhapsody. Other installations include outdoor fountains, plazas, retail displays, lighting and corporate awards. Private residential commissions include custom tile designs, furniture, hardware, lighting and fireplace surrounds.