Sparking Joy In The Flame with Glass Artist Sonya Yencer
Sonya Yencer is a glass artist and instructor at the Columbus Glass Art Center focusing on bead and jewelry making. We chatted with her about her creative journey, how she continues learning and what she loves about teaching.
Alex: Tell us a little bit about yourself and your creative journey.
Sonya: According to my mother, at the tender age of five, every time an adult asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up, I confidently announced that I was going to be an ARTIST. This was no surprise to anyone who knew me, coming from the child who pleaded for art supplies for every special occasion. As an only child, Crayolas and Play Dough were my best friends, even when I had two broken arms. Untold hours were spent sorting “cat eyes” from “vortexes” and “bumpies” in my prized marble collection. Whenever a creative gift was received, I was in my happy place. Fifty years later, it’s still true.
Little did I know that my kindergarten-self laid out a lifelong pursuit of creativity. In school, my time was filled taking every art class available under the mentorship of a remarkable high school art teacher. Cake decorating paid my bills while earning my graphic design degree. Post-college, my interest in high-pressure design firm positions waned quickly so I opened my own boutique design studio. To this day, in between clients, I explore every art medium time and money allows.
Embracing that childhood spark of “what can I create today” brings me joy. I am a multi-disciplinary artist, working in watercolor, acrylics, collage, pen and ink, jewelry, and most recently, glass.
Alex: What led you to bead making Columbus Glass Art Center?
Sonya: Jewelry making reignited my interest in glass. I wanted to work with artisan hand-made components in my one-of-a-kind pieces. After sourcing unique flamework from across the globe, my friend asked me why I didn’t make my own beads.
That was my “aha moment.” The seed was planted. Why not?
My friend Renilda and I signed up for a bead making class at Columbus Glass Art Center and I’ve never looked back. That single class sparked my obsession with harnessing molten glass and a love affair with soft glass. My fear of the torch was surpassed by my fixation with understanding how to manipulate glass.
Columbus Glass Art Center is like a second home to me. Whether I am melting glass, organizing and implementing marketing campaigns, volunteering at Glassquerade (it puts the word FUN in fundraiser), or sitting at the front desk as a greeter, I find my joy in those walls.
Alex: What do you find exciting about glass?
Sonya: Glass is the trickiest medium I’ve ever explored and continues to challenge me every time I pick up a rod. The greatest lesson learned to date is that glass requires respect. It tells you what you can and cannot do with it. (Sometimes those lessons are painful, both literally and physically!) It is endlessly fascinating and frustrating, but each small win energizes me to try the next thing.
Alex: Have you always collected glass beads? When did you start collecting them and when did you make your first one?
Sonya: Back in the days of gumball machines in the entry way of gas stations and grocery stores, there were also marble machines. I’d save my quarters and buy marbles. I loved the colors and the way they reflected the light, spending hours sorting and playing with them on a wooden marble run.
As an adult, my interest shifted from marbles to glass beads – wearable art. I bought my first from Soleil Beads, and something in me shifted. I could NOT stop staring at it, moving into the sunlight, to the shade, to artificial light. I was entranced! I made my first bead at the ripe age of 52 and have made hundreds since.
Alex: And now you teach beadmaking classes! What a wonderful full circle moment. What do you enjoy most about teaching? Can anyone take a bead class with you?
Sonya: One of my greatest joys is sharing my love of art glass through teaching. Witnessing students’ “aha moments,” watching their eyes light up when they successfully execute a technique, hearing their words of thanks after a class — these are the moments that fill me up. I love working with folks who were once in my shoes – brand new and wondering if they can do it. Being part of their journey is an honor.
Alex: Are you still learning? Who do you want to learn from?
Sonya: I am learning every single day, even when I’m not at the torch. I watch copious amounts of video tutorials, watch demos at glass events, have worked with a silver glass tutor, Helen-Marie Shakur, and take online classes with some of my mentors: Aja Vaz, Corinna Tettinger, and Hayley Tsang Sather, to name a few.
But I’m most excited when I get to take classes in person. This August I’ll be learning from one of my glass crushes, Joy Munshower. Her sculpted bead work is phenomenal and I’m excited to level up my own sculpting under her tutelage. She’s coming to Columbus Glass Art Center in August for a five-day workshop.
My 2027 aspirations are to learn with Marcy Lamberson and Margie Huebner. Never ever stop learning!
Alex: Where people take a bead class with you and buy your beads?
Sonya: I’d be honored to help you ignite (or reignite) your love of glass. You can purchase my work in Columbus Glass Art Center’s gallery and gift shop or on my social media.
Sign up for bead making classes with Sonya or the Columbus Glass Art Center’s many instructors through their website, www.columbusglassartcenter.org.
About the author
Alexandra Fresch is assistant director of the Columbus Glass Art Center.
This article is part of a bi-weekly column brought to you by the Greater Columbus Arts Council as part of the Art Makes Columbus campaign. Explore a calendar of events, public art database, artist-curated public art tours and stories at columbusmakesart.com. To learn more about GCAC grants visit gcac.org.