Creativity Center inspires local glass artist
Sue Leonhart of Guttenberg enjoys working with glass because if offers artists an opportunity to design both functional and creative pieces. (Press photo by Caroline Rosacker)
By Caroline Rosacker
Inspired by her love of color, retired second grade teacher Sue Leonhart has had a passion for creating art since she was a small child. She fondly remembers teaching art to her students and was always amazed at their talent.
Sue loves trying different mediums because it gives her a vast appreciation for the art others have created. She recognizes that although art can be expensive to pursue and purchase, it also fills her soul with joy.
Post retirement Sue has enjoyed helping with floral arrangements and decorating at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Guttenberg, volunteering to help set up and purchase items for the Guttenberg Municipal Hospital Gift Shop, and while a member of the Guttenberg Library Foundation painted 145 rocks to hide around town for others to find.
The local artist has successfully tried many art forms, but finds she enjoys glass fusion the best because it offers a myriad of possibilities for creating both functional pieces and artwork with color and form. "When I started I had no idea what I was getting into," Sue began. "I didn't know what the terms meant, nor the names of the tools and materials that were used. YouTube became my teacher and I just started working my way through the projects."
Other online platforms such as Facebook became a valuable resource for sharing techniques, failures and successes. Sue also enjoys visiting art centers and galleries while traveling for additional inspiration.
"Learning how to cut glass takes practice," she noted. "Creating a design and assembling the pieces together can be a challenge as well." A technique Sue enjoys is texturizing her pieces with tiny bits of glass that have been nipped/smashed by the artist.
Once Sue has created her design the piece is placed in a kiln to be fired. She explained there are different firing temperatures and slumping techniques that are used depending on the project. "When you tack fuse, also called partial fusing, the glass is heated up in the kiln, but not enough to melt it fully together," she explained. "What's interesting is that the glass binds, but still retains some of its shape."
Another technique Sue enjoys is slumping, which is created when glass is placed on top of a form and allowed to melt and mold into unique shapes. "It is always fun to see what happens, no two pieces are ever alike," she shared.
Sue is grateful for the Guttenberg Gallery and Creativity Center and says it has given her an opportunity to create and share with others. Even her husband, Bill enjoys volunteering as a handyman and with behind the scenes prep work, such as cutting off the bottoms of 145 wine bottles donated by Promiseland Winery to create mobiles for Diva Night.
"Some people are nervous and don't believe they are artistic, but everyone has to start somewhere," she commented. "It is not always about the end project, but rather the journey of getting there. I encourage everyone to come and experience this wonderful art studio that we are very fortunate to have in our community."
