"The spring is beautiful in California. Valleys in which the fruit blossoms

are fragrant pink and white waters in a shallow sea. Then the first

tendrils of the grapes, swelling from the old gnarled vines, cascade down

to cover the trunks. The full green hills are round and soft as breasts."

John Steinbeck, The Grapes of Wrath

Inspired by the valleys and bay views of Northern California, I have sought a way to

capture their magnificence and spirit in my art. Returning again and again to these

themes throughout my career, I have created landscapes and nature scenes in ceramics, photos, and now glass.

As a result of these explorations, I have created some unique "kiln-casting" techniques

for doing mosaics and drawing on glass technique.

Kiln-cast mosaic painting:

To create kiln-casting mosaic, I begin by carving a mold in clay and

kiln fire it. Then I layer frit (small glass chips) in the recesses of that mold,

cover the image with a sheet of glass, and kiln fire it. Layering the

frit allows me to capture the density of color and translucence of

Drawing on glass:   

I paint an image in reverse on the back of the glass using ceramic under-glaze.

I then cover the under-glaze with a second piece of glass and kiln fire it.

With this technique I can capture the delicate beauty of nature. I think my

paintings of flower blossoms are reminiscent of the California Arts &

Crafts and Art Nouveau movement.

I was born in the pacific Northwest and spent much of my childhood in France; where

I saw and was inspired by many of the Great Masters' works. As a teenager

I returned to the Sacramento Valley and, with new eyes, began my formal

training as an artist. I earned a B.A. in Art from C.S.U.S. emphasizing

ceramics and photography. My mentors and instructors include such notables

as pop artist Wayne Thiebaud, landscape artist Gregory Condos, watercolor artist Larry Welden,

ceramists Ruth Rippon & Peter Vandenburg, and  muralist Esteban Villa, of the RCAF (Royal Chicano Air

Force). At various times in my career I have worked professionally as a ceramist, photographer,

and glass artists.  I was a founding member of the Hot Flash Glass studio in Berkeley,

where I was Vice President and Studio Manager among many of my other tasks.

I currently work in Berkeley, CA and have a art glass studio at home my home.

Drop us a line anytime.

K Rae Design Arts Center

karen.lyberger@gmail.com