 Biography:
Sheri
Cannon has been making wearable artwork in glass since
the spring of 2004. She began by making incredibly
tiny torchwork beads for incorporation into delicate jewelry
pieces, thus her original business name, “Teeniebeads”.
Her work now includes larger vessels, focal beads and bead
sets with incredible detail and sparkle. She is known for
her skillful use of dichroic glass in nearly all of her pieces.
Having grown up in an artistic family, Sheri has been surrounded by music, painting,
sketching, sculpting, textile arts and stained glass her entire life. These influences
are evident in her work and provide the vibrancy, energy, and variety that her
patrons have come to expect. Sheri, herself, has experimented with watercolor,
oil painting, charcoal and pencil sketching, and textile arts.
After obtaining a B.S. in Business Management, Sheri worked in various fields
from real estate to circuit board manufacturing, eventually ending up in the
computer programming field. After her daughter was born in early 2005, Sheri
decided to work from home. She currently does accounting work for her mother’s
thriving online business, ArtisanDichroic.com and does her glasswork as time
allows.
Primarily a flameworker, using torches to melt rods, strips and chunks of glass
to shape and form her beads, Sheri has added to her range and depth of skill
by educating herself on the use of dichroic glass in her beads. Time-consuming
and often frustrating to use in flamework, dichroic glass adds a depth and elegance
to the artwork that cannot be matched by foil or other methods for adding metallic
touches to glass. Sheri’s only professional training in glasswork has been
two classes from well-known lampworkers, Larry Brickman and Leah Fairbanks.
Having recently changed her business name to “Rose Valley Glassworks”,
Sheri soon plans to begin working in fusing, glass blowing and sculpting.
Artist Statement:
I believe
that the purpose of art, in any form, is to evoke emotion
from the audience. It should create a personal
experience for each person. When admirers say to me, “It
just feels so good in my hand,” or “The colors
are so tranquil; I feel more relaxed every time I wear
it,” I know that I have made a connection with the
person through that piece. Those types of connections are
what humans were meant for and that makes me indescribably
at peace with what I do.
Working with glass centers me and takes me to a higher
place. The colors can be bright and vibrant, or deep and
mystical, but my designs are always simple, flowing and
organic. I have a difficult time creating symmetrical or
industrial-looking designs, or anything that looks true-to-life.
I really enjoy the ethereal qualities of a bead that resembles
something real, like a shell or animal, more than a bead
that leaves little to the imagination.
I currently send all of my design work to Lisa Linderman
at Triplelle Designs in Vancouver, Washington. Having known
me for nearly 30 years, Lisa understands the emotion and
spirituality that goes into making each bead and continues
that in the jewelry design. This results in a beautiful,
wearable piece of art that reflects who I am.
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