Dentist by day, glass artist by night: Inside Janet Wolery’s latest exhibit

Morgan Gibbs
Tue, 21 Sep 2021 00:51:10 +0000
Arts & Life, Fine Arts, Instagram Page, News, Alexandra Fresch, alumna, art, art exhibit, art gallery, Columbus, exhibition, glass, glass art, Glass Axis, glass axis gallery, glass blowing, janet wolery, local, local art, local art gallery, ohio state, ohio state alumna, ohio state university, osu, the ohio state university

Sparkling blown glass created by Janet Wolery, on display at her exhibition at Glass Axis Gallery. Credit: Morgan Gibbs | Lantern Reporter

As a child, Dr. Janet Wolery melted her first glass art pieces in her father’s kiln. Now, she works as a dentist and glass artist, with an exhibit on display at Glass Axis Gallery through Oct. 1.

Wolery, a 1979 Ohio State alumna with a bachelor’s in genetics, is known for her sparkling glass paperweights, bowls, plates, beads and jewelry, which are all featured in her exhibit open since Sept. 10, according to the gallery’s Facebook page. She said she has developed the skills throughout her careers, such as fine hand technique and hand-eye coordination.

“With glassblowing, I’ve been able to take a lot of those techniques from dentistry and vice versa,” Wolery said. “In dentistry, you know, I think I can do things in a manner sometimes that other dentists don’t think of.”

Wolery said she particularly enjoys using dichroic glass, a type of glass that reflects light in one color and transmits it in another color, when creating pieces like the ones featured in the exhibit.?

“It’s sparkly, and when you mix it with colors of glass it changes, and it’s really neat to see that color change,” Wolery said. “When you mix other colors in you get even more colors and more color shifts. It moves more; when you put it in with translucent glass, it’s got a really sexy look to it. It’s just very fluid and I loved it from the first time I saw it.”

Wolery said she not only enjoys fluidity in the glass she works with, but also in her artistic process. She said she often begins creating her pieces without a set plan and likes to flow through the process.

“A lot of times, I just begin and it forms and I don’t have a preconceived notion, especially with the blowing,” Wolery said. “I kind of let it take me where it wants to go because that glass moves on its own, and colors change and pickups turn out differently sometimes than you would like.”

Wolery said she creates her art at her home studio and at Glass Axis, where her work is currently displayed.

“I love that there’s a gallery there,” she said. “Everyone is wonderful. It’s a great place for ideas to be shared and to see what’s going on with glass.”

Glass Axis was founded in 1987 by a group of Ohio State graduates from the glass department who were looking for an affordable place to create glass art, Alexandra Fresch, marketing and gallery manager for Glass Axis, said. Fresch said as a nonprofit, Glass Axis has been able to keep glass art accessible to the community through public glass blowing demonstrations and classes.

“We like to show that glass can be made in a whole variety of ways that you might not have realized,” Fresch said. “By having and showcasing and offering classes in all these different mediums, it makes it more accessible. People can still make something with glass, even if they don’t have the skills.”

Fresch said Glass Axis seeks to not only enhance the lives of Columbus residents through expanding access to glass art, but also the lives of its local artists by helping them thrive in Columbus.??

“We have a whole variety of artists making a whole variety of different techniques and quality,” Fresch said. “So, we love being able to showcase all the amazing things our artists make because people are blown away.”

Wolery is the latest local artist to be featured at Glass Axis in a pop-up member exhibit, Fresch said. She said when she thinks of Wolery’s work, she immediately thinks of sparkles and glitter.

“What makes glass exciting is how it reacts with the light,” Fresch said. “It makes everyone feel like you’re a bird. You just look and you’re like, ‘Oh, shiny!’ Humans are very attuned to seeing something sparkle, and it just draws our attention. ”

Wolery’s exhibit will be on display through Oct. 1 at Glass Axis Gallery, located at 610 W. Town St. More information can be found on the gallery’s Facebook page.