An exhibit of glass artworks by Sarah Cohen of Haines opened July 23 at the Sheldon Museum’s Hakkinen Gallery.

Comprised of glasswork, textiles and ceramics, the display is Cohen’s first in her hometown, an experience she described as “very exposing.”

“Not very many people know what I went to school for, or what I do,” adding that she feels she gets lumped in with her mom, ceramic artist Kerry Cohen, or glass artist John Svenson, whose studio she works in.

Cohen, 24, attended Haines High School and received a bachelor in fine arts from the California College of the Arts. Since graduation two years ago, she said her artwork has become more personal rather than experimental.

“Now, more than ever before, my pieces are more honest, rather than just being an experiment. It’s work that really means something to me.”

Most of the work on display Cohen made in the last three months, with the exception of several large, colored glass pieces shaped like large gummy bears and a wood and glass piece containing real gummy bears.

The work with gummy bears is an example of getting into an idea and experimenting, she said. At school, Cohen melted candy gummy bears and poured them into the same large mold she poured glass into. She also used the translucent bears to make faux stained-glass windows.

Her recent pieces are more intentional, using glass to replicate patterns she sees here in the natural world, or to interpret individual personalities.

Texture, evolution, wings, bones, growth and forests are influences on her work that she listed on a statement at the opening.

Recent works involved heating up colored balls of glass, then pulling sections out with tweezers. Housed in small wooden boxes, the brightly colored abstract shapes conjure up tidepool creatures, humans or internal organs.

“It’s so cool hearing other people’s comments. They always say things that are true and are parts of my work, but that I don’t necessarily think of during my work.”

Haines School art teacher Linnus Danner said she found the exhibit visually intriguing, particularly its use of natural and coarse ojects to contrast with the delicate glass.

A lace curtain Cohen hung in the gallery window, suspended from an old section of metal hose furthered that theme, she said.

The show strongly reflects Cohen’s skills and personality, including humor evident in giant, glass gummy bears, Danner said.

Much of Cohen’s work is made with clear glass shaped in lace-like patterns, like the oval-shaped, spiky glass piece surrounding and holding a blue robin’s egg.

She shapes the pieces by heating and stretching clear glass to thin, three-foot lengths, then breaking them to smaller pieces. She then melds the small sections together to form flowing shapes, like rags, eggs or bowls.

Much of the exhibit is made from clear glass and is on driftwood stands or bases. “Color is challenging for me.”

Cohen said she transported the ethereal, fragile pieces into town padded with pillows or holding them on her lap.

The show runs through Sept. 3.

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