2 minute read
Meet Solange Ledwith
Mastering the Fiery Art of Glass Blowing with Grit and Grace.
BETH D'ADONNO
BLOWING GLASS IS NOT FOR THE FAINT OF HEART, which is one of the many reasons that artist Solange Ledwith relishes her craft.
Ledwith works with molten glass that can reach temperatures of 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit. From this dangerous liquid she creates gossamer Venetian-style goblets and dramatic art with bubbles of glass blown within glass for an astonishing layered effect. The shop overflows with her work, including a large cast woman’s torso draped in a fiber art bustier. There is an asymmetrical glass bowl fixed to a pedestal, glowing in gold leaf. Vases in all shapes, awash in color, line the shelves. Glassware ranges from the functionally pretty to the downright divine.
Ledwith has been at it for 22 years, starting in 2002 at Chico State University in California, where she discovered her passion for glass. She moved to L.A., finishing her Master of Art degree at California State University, Fullerton. Next came an eight year stint in the Air Force, fueling military aircraft here and overseas.
She loves the physicality of the work. “I’ve always been athletic, into sports and martial arts,” said the 43-year-old Slidell native. “The science and chemistry part appeals to my nerdy side.”
Her journey home started 15 years ago, when she started teaching glass blowing along the Gulf Coast, a mobile furnace in tow. In early 2020, she opened Swamp Girl Glass Blowing, her studio and shop space on Front Street.
Here she does custom work for clients, pursues her own artistic vision and teaches classes. Many of her repeat clients come from The Northshore, New Orleans, Mississippi and Alabama.
As a woman, she’s in the minority in her discipline. “It’s sweatshop work,” she said. “I’m a furnace worker. Most people don’t stick around. It’s historically just guys.”
Her most recent pieces involve dripping glass into bold, contemporary acrylic paintings. “Learning how to make a Venetian-style goblet takes so much control, a lifetime to achieve. Now I’m dripping glass Jackson Pollock-style. It’s chaotic, hard to control. The fall of the glass determines the painting. It’s like a duet, a dance with the glass.”
VISIT SOLANGE LEDWITH: Swamp Girl Glass Blowing - 1060 Front St., Slidell | (985) 710-3873 swampgirlglassllc.com
