Studio Glass
- Phone: 902 261-2656
- Fax: 902 261-2461
Studio Glass is a fused glass studio owned and operated by Sharon and Greg Laska in Maitland, Nova Scotia since 2002. Studio Glass was created by Sharon Laska in 1980 as a vehicle to market her glass art. Sharon was formally trained as a scientist, and spent twenty years doing geological field work and teaching in a university setting. It wasn't until she enrolled in an evening class on Stained Glass at Sheridan College of Art and Design in Mississauga, Ontario in 1978 that her early love of art was rekindled, and it became clear that glass was her medium. She and her husband Greg moved from Saskatoon to Nova Scotia in 1984. She began to work in glass full time in 1988, using lead came, copper foil and mosaic techniques. She took a weekend course in fused-glass and fell in love with the technique, and by 1996 it became the primary focus of the business. While Sharon does all the designing, the production pieces are made with the assistance of between one and three trained employees.
In 2004, she took a course in painting, staining and enameling on glass, and has since expanded her range of offerings to include original, one-of-kind works using all these techniques.
Most of Studio Glass' designs reflect Sharon's background as a biologist. Her inspirations draw on the natural world, including birds, animals, insects, flowers,trees, snowflakes, whales, and a wide range of fish. Her signature line is the "Native Fish from Our Northern Waters" group, which comprises highly realistic, life-sized renderings of cold-water fish species. Noting that tropical fish are commonly depicted, and that northern fish are relatively unknown, Sharon uses multi-layered fused glass with paint, glass powders and frits to capture the intricate patterns and colours of fish species that live in cold, dark waters and are seldom seen. The northern fish series are among her most successful products.
