Marla Ripps

​

Bringing into being glass art fulfills a need to express my own version of the beauty of God’s  creation.  Glass is an amazing medium to work in as an artist. It is never boring, always inspiring and touches me in a way no other art form has been able to since I began drawing as a child.  I get lost in the process.

It all began as a way to cope with the unexpected death of my mother. She was the one person who always encouraged me to follow my dreams. Glass was something new, something I had never tried before. I have quilted, embroidered, painted and designed. I have always had some creative outlet; some were only pursued for a short while and others are still a part of my life.  None have made as big an impact and impression as working with warm and hot glass.

I was born in Louisiana and moved to Texas in the 1970’s. I still consider myself a Louisiana girl as well as a Texan. I graduated from Texas A&M University with a BS in Civil Engineering. I chose this major because I liked math and science, not a good reason. I am now teaching, my first love. I teach Chemistry and Physics to home school high school students. I also am the Tech Director for a small Christian based drama company here in San Antonio, TX.

Sometimes I bring the physics and chemistry of glass into my classes.  I explain to my chemistry classes how the metals mixed in the glass create the different colors; my physics class might get a lesson on the fluidity of glass and how it is a super cooled liquid, always moving even in the solid state. It shows them, even in this narrow medium, that science plays an important part in our everyday experience.

I create lampwork beads and jewelry and functional and architectural fused glass pieces.  I love to make a bunch of beads and play with them; it is very tactile. The play of light on the fused glass is endlessly captivating.  The creation of glass is a fascinating vocation that constantly challenges me.

​