MARLENE ROSE

Marlene Rose is a nationally known glass artist whose work can be seen in several museums and fine glass galleries around the country. While Rose’s process of glass making is old, as are the images she depicts, her work is very contemporary. 

Rose chooses images that are strong and simple often from ancient cultures in Africa, China and Tibet. Her Buddhas created by the Sandcast Glass method are set on or surrounded by welded steel giving them a modern interpretation. As you look closely, bits of sand adhere to the surface, as if the piece had just emerged from an archeological dig. This interesting combination of contemporary and old - materials, images and processes is part of what makes Rose’s work so compelling. But her work goes beyond the tangible. “I try to put everything of my spirituality into the work,” she states. “My goal is to create life in whatever I make. In the ordinary, I see the extraordinary. The glass is a glimpse of something beyond the moment, a vision frozen forever.” Rose gives us art that is beautiful, quiet yet powerful and contemplative.

Rose received her undergraduate degree in sculpture/glass from Tulane University in New Orleans and her MFA from CCAC in Oakland, California. She has also studied at Pilchuck Glass School in Seattle. Rose has had 15 solo exhibitions and is in the permanent collection of several museums. Originally from New York, Rose lives and works in Clearwater, Florida with her husband and two children.