Marjolyn Pritchard
Glass Artist
Site # 12 |
8 Myrtle Road Myrtle |
Artists at Site 12: Pat Neal and |
I learned about the science and the artistic possibilities used to create art with fused glass. Everywhere I look I think of how I can create an image with glass.
Marjolyn retired in mid 2020 following a very long career in public health with both municipal and regional government. She started her career as a front-line staff member and worked her way up the ranks to the level of director. Always looking to improve herself throughout those years she returned to school part-time to attain additional certificates followed by a bachelor’s degree in environmental science from Ryerson University and then master’s degree in health science from the University of Toronto. Under her leadership she also helped guide her programs to attain Silver Level Accreditation with Excellence Canada.
Throughout those working years Marjolyn used numerous hobbies, to help distract from the pressures of her positions, which included embroidery, quilting, knitting, weaving on a loom and a bit of stained glass.
Although the glass work was of the greatest interest for her, the increased demands of her career as she took on greater responsibilities did not enable her to really delve into this hobby until she finally retired to take on the more leisurely life.
Late in 2020 with the limitations of COVID, Marjolyn began to picked up glass and started back into creating stained glass pieces at home. As the COVID limitation were slowly lifted Marjolyn Joined a glass studio and started taking lessons on techniques for creating fused glass works. She starting with small projects to better understand the techniques, and she soon purchased her first kiln that allowed her to fire pieces at home up to a maximum of about 13 inches in diameter. After creating a few large pieces which required firing in the studio kilns, she was able to purchase a large 2nd hand kiln which fit into the newly created studio in the garage. Ongoing lessons on new techniques continue as do the ideas for new fused glass works which flow from her thoughts, onto paper, then created in glass on the worktable and eventually into the kiln. And the thrill of opening the kiln after firing new creations will never fail to occur.
