GLASS FUSION

FOR THE LOVE OF GLASS: Marlis Rufner fuses glass, does torchwork and creates jewelry. (Submitted photo).

The Potter's House, 1601 Sixth St., is featuring Marlis Rufner's fused glass work for the Third Thursday Art Walk Aug. 16 from 5 to 8 p.m.

Rufner grew up on a dairy farm near the Columbia River in Vancouver, Wash. She holds degrees in architecture, fine arts and education from the University of Washington. After college, she served in the Peace Corps in Huancayo and Huachuc, Peru, at 11,000 feet above sea level.

She relocated with her family to Eastern Oregon in 2004. They love the long vistas and warm, friendly people, the comfortable community and their small farm where they raise alpacas and angora goats that produce fiber for spinning and weaving. Colorful chickens, two dogs and three cats complete their farm family.

Rufner fuses glass, does torchwork and creates jewelry. Fused and slumped glass is specially handmade colored and textured glass that is used in sheet form or strips and is ground or torch-worked into special shapes and patterns.

The glass is then combined in layered designs and fired to about 1,500 degrees to fuse or cast. The fused product may then be slumped into special forms to create usable products or sculptures. Creation of these works requires several days and multiple firings.

Her jewelry line is new to The Potter's House. She is mixing the fused glass with silver.

Rufner describes her love of glass.

"Glass is such a vibrant medium, rich and dynamic fluctuations of color and translucency," she says. "I find inspiration in the structure and patterns of my architectural design work and of the natural world. Textile patterns and qualities also influence my work."

Highway 30 Eats, 1302 Adams Ave., this month is featuring local artist Jeremy Clark's recent works in mixed-media and fabric design during Third Thursday Art Walk.

The collection, "The A to Z Symphony," is the artist's personal expressive view toward the English alphabet. Clark has served a term on the La Grande Arts Commission, was the chief editor of ARTiculation, a local arts newspaper and is continuing his dream of creating 50 varied arts projects named "Project 50."