Today we’d like to introduce you to Carin Pratt.
Hi Carin, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
My journey as an artist started in college, in theatre. I drifted from interests in performance and directing to studying scenic and costume design at Centenary College, and then went on to get an MFA in Costume Design from Boston University. When my family and I moved back to California, I began teaching Visual Arts at Canyon View Elementary school, where my children were students. During this time, I was gifted a workshop with a glass artist, Maggie Spencer, in Laguna Beach, creating fused glass art. I absolutely loved it! I felt like I had finally found my medium. Over the years, I attended several more workshops and eventually purchased a glass kiln – which sat in my dining room for three years. When the pandemic hit, I could not go into the elementary school to teach art. So, my husband and I finally turned one of our rooms into a glass studio, and I started this small business, Rockin’ P Studios. Since then, I have been making “art for every day.”
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
Creating Art is rarely a smooth or easy process, but for the most part, I haven’t had too many struggles. The biggest struggle for me is time. Creating fused glass art is a time-consuming process. I have one son in college and one in high school. I am back to teaching elementary art in the classroom and occasionally working as a substitute teacher. Carving out time to design a piece of art, then cut, shape, and fuse all of the elements together before it can be molded into its final form can be tricky. Sometimes, balancing time can be much harder than balancing the artistic elements of a piece. The other struggle – keeping enough band-aids around. My fingertips are no longer useful for fingerprint identification on my phone.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am an artist that creates pieces of usable, functional art that can and should be used to bring joy to people’s every day life. I make plates and platters, candle holders and vases, wind chimes, coasters, ornaments, pendants, and pins, as well as larger pieces of glass art that can be hung or mounted on walls or set outside in an open space or garden. I have also begun creating pet memorials based on the idea of the “rainbow bridge” but not always as a rainbow. I love working with color and shape – playing with how colors complement one another, which shapes balance others out. Working in glass, I get to work with transparent and opaque colors and use light as it passes through or reflects off of the glass, giving the piece another dimension.
Networking and finding a mentor can have such a positive impact on one’s life and career. Any advice?
This is tough. I do have mentors people that I go to for questions about art and process, but I have only been doing this as a business for less than a year. I haven’t made a lot of progress in networking yet. I have made a few friends and contacts through some of the arts and crafts events where I have had a booth. They have been offering advice and suggestions on some other events. Up until my first event at Koi Zen last May, I had only sold to a few of my fellow teachers and friends. So, networking is something that I am still working on, but it seems that in general, being honestly friendly is the best way to make contacts and develop those relationships.
Contact Info:
- Email: carin@rockinpstudios.com
- Website: https://www.rockinpstudios.com/
- Instagram: @rockinpstudios
- Facebook: Rockin’ P Studios – Art for Every Day
Image Credits
Christy Mendoza – photo of purple candleholder
