Artist Kim Campbell fuses technique and form to create layers of colorful textured glass that evoke emotions as deep as the ocean.
As Tallahassee and Leon County celebrate Women’s History Month in March, Campbell’s latest collection “Women in Art” will be exhibited at the Bruce J. Host Northeast Branch Library.
Surprises found in the sand
Like sands through the hourglass, art travels through time and culture. The evolution of our earth has shaped the materials used today. Sand is a compilation of continents whose environments eroded along the ocean floors for thousands of years.
When heated, sand undergoes a chemical transformation which — in a seemingly magical flow — allows it to travel from solid to liquid and live in the middle as glass. The fluidity of glass has inspired artists worldwide and provides a medium that balances fragility and strength to produce welcome surprises.
Fused glass artist Campbell revels in what sand delivers every time she opens the kiln.
“Working with glass became so interesting to me as the end project was never quite what I thought it might be,” Campbell said about why she continues to return to glass as her medium of choice.
Campbell, a self-proclaimed artist by age 5, came to Florida State University in the late 1980s to pursue a Bachelor of Art in Studio Art. After graduation, she made a home for herself in the capital city, beginning work as a graphic designer for the Florida Teaching Profession – National Education Association, now the Florida Education Association.
Eventually, Campbell started her graphic design business, Graphic Visions. The endeavor helped sharpen her understanding of color theory, composition, and visual balance. With these elements in mind, Campbell continued to work in the worlds of visual art, including painting, drawing, and building.
“I was a pastel portrait artist in the ’90s,” Campbell said. “I made money creating portraits of friend’s children and later portraits of indigenous people. I won several ribbons at the local fair for my indigenous portraits.”
Fate brought Campbell to the FSU Art Center, where her initial interest in mosaics led her to discover glass fusing and begin a decades-long affair with the art form.
“The rest is history,” Campbell said. She took classes for years until becoming a teacher of glass fusing. Her craft has evolved with time, as Campbell strives to better the process of experimentation with enamel paints, frit, and powders. After each time, she better understands how glass reacts to heat, how materials can be fused and how her artistic intention influences them both.
Layer by layer
Local artists often share how their process is “queen.” Campbell’s process is no different, radiating royalty and reverence for the craft of glass fusing.
Campbell takes us through her artsy looking glass to magnify her process. She starts with glass powder. “I sift the powder onto the kiln shelf until it is fairly thick,” Campbell said. “I then take a razor blade and make small slits in the powder. It goes into the kiln and is fired up to 1325 degrees. It takes about 6 to 8 hours for the complete firing.”
Once the first round of firing is complete, she repeats the process on the other side. The piece’s purpose and function will dictate the mold’s shape. Glass is then layered over the mold and fired one last time.
Color and texture are crucial elements that greatly influence Campbell’s process. They create depth, dimension, variety, and contrast, affecting the visual impact. For Campbell, color evokes moods and conveys themes, while texture adds dimension and tactile appeal.
To begin, she selects the kind of glass to use for creating character; transparent, opaque, or textured. She achieves an interesting piece by layering or stacking and arranging sheets of glass to add depth, create patterns, and contrast gradients of color. Once the stacking is complete, Campbell focuses on surface treatment.
Here, she can create texture by manipulating the surface of the glass with techniques like sandblasting, etching, enamel paints, gold luster, or applying glass frit (crushed glass particles).
Lastly, the glass is fired layer upon layer in a kiln until each piece has fused onto its neighbor. This technique allows for a change in texture from smooth to glossy to matte; each is achieved by adjusting the temperature.
Campbell has built her process around color and texture, and considers them the backbone of her artistry. “Overall, the interplay of color and texture in glass fusing allows artists to create visually stunning and expressive works of art that engage the senses and evoke emotional responses from viewers,” Campbell said.
‘Women in Art’ glitters at library
As Tallahassee and Leon County celebrate Women’s History Month in March, Campbell’s latest collection, “Women in Art,” will be exhibited at the Bruce J. Host Northeast Branch Library.
Campbell’s recent works of ocean-inspired fused glass pieces also honor women in art. “Glass can be a particularly apt medium for capturing the beauty of the ocean due to its inherent qualities and versatility,” Campbell said.
“Glass has the unique ability to mimic the transparency and depth of water when layered or shaped appropriately,” Campbell said. And its reflective properties “allow me to emulate the shimmering and ever-changing surface of the ocean, as well as the play of light and shadow beneath its waves.”
Her work, along with that of other local women artists and local women’s history, will be showcased at select locations throughout the LeRoy Collins Leon County Public Library system. So be sure to catch the wave of “Women in Art” and a look at the layered mastery of glassworks Campbell created to honor the creativity and imagination of women artists everywhere.
If you go
What: Women in Art
When: March 1-16
Where: Bruce J. Host Northeast Branch Library, 5513 Thomasville Road
Contact: 850-606-2800 | library_exhibitions@leoncountyfl.gov
Online: leoncountyfl.libcal.com;cms.leoncountyfl.gov
Dr. Christy Rodriguez de Conte is the feature writer for the Council on Culture & Arts (COCA). COCA is the capital area’s umbrella agency for arts and culture (www.tallahasseearts.org).
