Meet Janis Miltenberger

View Janis Miltenberger’s recent Artist Talk with San Juan Island Museum of Art (SJIMA) by clicking HERE.

Lopez Island glass sculptor, Janis Miltenberger, draws upon stories, fables, parables, flora, and fauna for inspiration in her work.  Her incredibly detailed glass sculptures of borosilicate glass, enhanced with glass colors, gold luster, sandblasting, and oil paint are richly representative of experiences told and lived.

She told Habatat Galleries, “I began working with hot glass in 1978. Initially apprenticing with Richard Marquis at Marquis Deluxe Studio, Berkeley California. I had been taking Ceramics classes at Laney College in Oakland CA, studying with Nancy Selvin and while working with Dick I continued my clay work as well. About a year into working with Dick I enrolled and concurrently studied with Marvin Lipofsky at California College of Arts and Crafts, Nancy Selvin at Laney College (ceramics) and Ron Nagel at Mills College CA. (ceramics) all while working part time at Dick’s shop. Several years later I had the opportunity to explore lampworking at Pilchuck Glass School, in Washington state.

“Over the course of three summers at Pilchuck, I had the privilege of studying with; Susan Plum, who introduced me to working with Borosilicate glass, James Minson, who has an innate knowledge of the medium and lastly Cesare Toffolo Rossit.  I think it was Cesare who resonated with my own style, using the hot glass tools which were already familiar to me. These summers became a pivotal turning point in my relationship with glass.”