My work is greatly inspired by the natural world and the gardens and forests that surround my rural Vermont home and studio. I have always been fascinated by plant structures and enjoy studying and examining nature’s unique colors and forms. I am passionate about using molten glass to recreate these subtle details. My pieces are composed of hot glass gathered from the furnace. I dust multiple layers of colored glass powder onto the surface of my pieces to mimic the plant colors and textures found in nature. I add small molten bits of colored glass onto the surface of my pieces that then become leaves, flowers, stems, branches, etc…I use a small hot torch along with tweezers and shears to refine certain details in my work. I also incorporate metal and wood into my finished pieces. “I spend a lot of time outside in nature, both gardening and exploring the woods near our rural Vermont home. I’m often inspired and intrigued by the daily changes and growth in my gardens, or by small leaves and twigs I find scattered underfoot while walking in the forest. I love observing the wonderful variety of birds that frequent our yard daily through the changing seasons. I enjoy studying these delicate natural forms, colors, and textures and welcome the challenge of figuring out how to recreate them in molten glass.” Jen Violette first began working with glass at Alfred University in 1991 at age 18 and has been working with molten glass for the past 29 years. She received her BFA in Glass and metal sculpture from Alfred University School of Art & Design in 1994. She continued to pursue her glass art education through courses at Pilchuck Glass School, The Studio of the Corning Museum of Glass, Rhode Island School of Design, Haystack Mountain School of Crafts and Penland School of Crafts. She has been very fortunate to have studied with many of the best glass maestros in the world, including Lino Tagliapietra, William Morris, Pino Signoretto, Dante Marioni, Karen Willenbrink-Johnsen, Martin Janecky, Richard Marquis, Randy Walker, Kait Rhoads, Jasen Johnsen, Stephen Dee Edwards, Fred Tschida, Walt Lieberman, and Brian Pike. Violette was a featured guest artist at the Corning Museum of Glass Amphitheater Hot Shop in 2017 & 2018 and also taught a Creative Glass Sculpting Techniques class at the Corning Museum of Glass in 2018. In May 2019, she was a guest artist at Public Glass in San Francisco, and in November 2019, she was a featured glass artist on the Corning Museum Mobile Glass Studio at SOFA Chicago.
Violette is a full-time glass and mixed media artist based in Wilmington, Vermont.