How did you get started in fused glass art?
It seems that fused glass is really just one step in a progression of mediums that started while I was dabbling in ceramics. I am not formally trained in fine arts (I was a fine arts major for my freshman year in college before the fear of failure set in and I switched to communications) so all my art training has been personally pursued.
A number of years later, I must have happened across a warm glass site or a book and the deal was sealed. I did a Craigslist search the next week and immediately found someone in Bangor looking to sell her glass fusing studio for $400. Everything I needed to get startedkiln, glass, glov
es, shelf paper etc. It was almost eerie how easily I happened across exactly what I was looking for - especially in Midcoast Maine (which is a very rural area). I will say that it has taken me into my 30s (and no formal art training) to finally find a medium that I feel so desperately passionately aboutthat I want to stay with it for a while - years, decadesmaybe a lifetime.
How would you describe your design aesthetic?
Industrial Organic. What does that mean? Beats meI guess I like to think that its a blending of bright colors and organic looking shapes with a hard, pragmatic, organized structure - order within chaos. I love the flowing viscous look of full fused glass - in an organized layout, many times with industrial items (like washers and gears) infused between the layers.
I am always amazed at how the industrial implements create an organic byproduct. The trapped air when fusing or the gases that might be emitted from the metal itself, creates an unpredictable bubble (or set of bubbles) that keeps me like a kid at Christmas every time I open the kiln.
You are also a freelance graphic and web designer, how has this creative background influenced your glass art designs?
My design style, whether online, in print or in the kiln - is simplicity above all else. I like to use only what is needed to convey the point Im trying to get across. I love clean lines, color with purposeoverall, I like it clean (which is more than I can say for my desk). You must know that this is all said with a grain of salt. In the end, I do what makes me feel good and above all - I play. Mistakes, chances, happy coincidences are all part of the creation process.
Many of your pieces are blue, does this have anything to do with your last name?
Though I love blue, the last name has just been a very happy coincidence. Its my married name - and happens to have been very good for my freelance career (who can forget a name like Maggi Blue?) I tell my husband that I love him...but if the name hadn't been cool - I was going to keep my maiden name.
You recently quit your job to pursue glass art creation and design full time, what lead to this 
decision?
I think a perfect storm of situations lead to my decision to go back to full-time self employment after 4 years of, what I like to call, a jobby job. It was just simply time. I found myself frustrated that I was jamming all my creative endeavors in at night and on the weekends - it was keeping me from spending time with my son and husband - and I was a walking stress ball. After ending up in the hospital for a panic attack on the way to work one dayI finally decided that it was time to start figuring out a better situation. The kick in the butt came while preparing my Pecha Kucha presentation last June it was evident that the change needed to happen more quickly than I had originally planned. So, instead of giving my notice in the fall - I moved it up to August. And here I am. Happy, busy and did I say happy?
Oh...and if it's not too shameless...please visit my Etsy store to purchase some of my glass!
Feeling Blue: Getting to Know Artist Maggi Blue
