Mary-Anne Berard

Bio

I have long been a woman of passion & faith; I express myself through decades of art classes I feel blessed to have studied. My first love is glass.
I learned all I could about cold then warm & then hot glass. I learned the European removal technique for painting glass with fine glass powder; as well as the easier way of using paint. I continued my glass studies at Red Deer CC in Alberta Canada. There, I learned how to make glass beads using glass rods, torch & kiln. The several glass sculpture classes I took introduced me to three different casting techniques. I was excited to find myself using a branch & twig that I had cast with bronze & brass for this submission. These pieces became integral to the fowlers snare.

Recently taking a silversmith & wire wrapping class has rekindled my desire to create. It’s compact. Currently my studio is an end table in my living room. Now I have the knowledge to apply sunlight, to the many glass sculptures that require hanging.

A couple years ago I was diagnosed with MS. My life changed completely, without my consent. My job of over 20 years, driving city transit bus was taken from me.one if the things I miss most about my job, is the gift of prayIng for others I meet along the way. Since then, I have learned to accept, change & see the opportunities God has placed before me; my gifts. Today, for the first time in my life, i can create art full time! Making myself available to God, to use as long as He needs me.