ENCINITAS — An opening reception for glass artist Carol Korfin will be held from 2 to 3:30 p.m. June 24 at the Encinitas Library. Her exhibit, A Glass Menagerie, will be on display until July 15.
Working from her Glass Giraffe Studio, Korfin fashions delicate fused-glass objects that include animals and animal-inspired pieces, large art pieces, small dishes, pendants and earrings using translucent, opaque, dichroic, iridescent, frit, millefiore, confetti, rods, stringers and noodles.
“I chose my name by ‘fusing’ my love of all things giraffe with my love of glass art,” she said. “I create one-of-a-kind fused-glass art. No two pieces are ever exactly alike.”
Forty-two pieces from her collection will be on exhibit at the library. Prices range from $15 for a pin or pair of earrings to $170 for a standing glass sculpture.
In selecting Korfin to display her work, Encinitas Arts Administrator Jim Gilliam explains that the Visual Art Selection Committee chooses artists each summer with children and tourists in mind.
“Carol Korfin’s art glass is greatly influenced by her love for giraffes,” Gilliam said. “Her animal-themed designs are whimsical and intricate, drawing you in for a closer look, ideal for summer viewing.”
Although Korfin said she’s always been artsy, her initial efforts were directed in crafts projects through scouting events, and home decorating projects. It was wasn’t until 2006, a year after retiring from a career in health and long-term care insurance sales, that she acted on a lifelong fascination with glass art by taking a class in fused glass offered by Toye Martindale at the San Diego Art Department.
“After the first night, I told my husband, ‘This is it. I’ve found my passion,’” she said.
Finding that it was too difficult to transport glass projects to the kiln at the San Diego Art Department, she purchased her own kiln for an art studio built by her husband, Harvey.
“I first created pieces for myself, family and friends,” she said. “I built up an inventory and tried to do some shows and get into galleries.”
As she became an active member of local artist communities, she found herself developing fans among more established artists like Grace Ann Swanson, membership chair with the San Dieguito Art Guild.
“Carol’s passion for her art and attention to detail can be seen in her work,” Swanson said. “Each piece is finished to perfection. Her color choice is flawless. The glass animals are charming, imaginative and whimsical. The quality of material she uses, and her careful workmanship, make each piece a little treasure.”
Pendants, bowls, wall creations and decorative pieces can be found year-round at galleries including the Front Porch Gallery in Carlsbad; Off Track Gallery in Encinitas; the Del Mar Art Center; and the Carmel Valley Library.
Korfin is active in numerous organizations including Coastal Artists; the Art Glass Association of Southern California in Spanish Village, Balboa Park; San Diego Museum of Art Artists Guild in Balboa Park; Allied Artists Association of San Diego; North County Society of Fine Arts; and Oceanside Museum of Art’s Artist Alliance.
For more information, visit glassgiraffe.com, email [email protected] or call
(858) 793-5482.
