Making glass beads is like choreography to Liliana Glenn. She plans and uses her skills to conceptualize a bead, and in turn, the glass, its colors and the heat—just like dancers—build on her vision with their own naturally conditioned interpretations. She likes being not 100% in control: the glass can surprise her in ways that influence her thinking and make her a better artist. The soft Italian glass that she uses offers an endless palette of colors, sometimes bold and outspoken; other times, transcendental and quiet. The texture can be dynamic and rich in relief, or smooth and glassy. Behind a flame, with a mandrel and glass rod in hand, Liliana can explore beauty, identity and skill in just one glass bead.

Liliana Glenn is a native of Moldova, in Eastern Europe. From 2001 – 2002 she was Artist in Residence at the Worcester Center for Crafts, where she has taught classes in lampworking. She works out of her home studio in Natick, Massachusetts.