Spotlight: Guest Instructor Stephanie O’Toole

Featured Artists

Behind the innovative molds we’ve all come to love from Creative Paradise is an intensely creative artist, Stephanie O’Toole. She recently sat down for a fascinating interview with Delphi.

 

Creative Paradise – where creativity takes shape – is the kind of place that doesn’t sound like work. Stephanie let us in on her creative process regarding how she came to design molds to make complex artwork more accessible for everyone to enjoy.

 

She draws her inspiration from all over. Whether it’s from surfing around the internet or while out shopping at stores, Stephanie looks for interesting shapes and ways to constantly change things up. Some of the amazing creations from Creative Paradise include drop and drape molds that allow for more elevation in fusing. Stand-up molds were another idea that Stephanie pioneered, making it easy to achieve vertical heights with fused glass. Her ideas also come from talking with friends, family, and even the customers she chats with when they visit Creative Paradise.

 

Stephanie believes creativity should be a vital part of everyone’s life. “It’s good therapy for anybody,” she told us. Her goal is to push the envelope every day when she heads into her studio. In her mind, she’s thinking about how to create a mold that pushes glass to do something new.

 

“When you view art, you can tell how somebody enjoyed making it,” she said. She reminds us that art should be relaxed and should flow with our own creativity. Stephanie hopes that she can encourage new fusers to just let go and create. Her best advice to new fusers is to start cutting glass and stick it in a kiln. “Don’t be afraid to make mistakes,” she encourages. “The creative process and expressing yourself – that’s what this is all about. We’re doing this all because we have a creative drive and we need to express it.”

 

Want more inspiration from Stephanie? Check out her full interview in two parts. Part 1 and part 2 will enlighten you even more.

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ABOUT ME
Jenn Raskin

Jenn Raskin

Jennifer Raskin is an internationally published writer with a not-so-secret craft obsession. She joined the Delphi team to combine two of her favorite things - writing and creating art. In her spare time, she loves to play with her kids, cook, write and have craft parties with her friends.