Shelby Allen

BIO

Shelby Allen is a lamp and cold work glass artist from Kansas City, MO. She received a BA in Art History from George Mason University in 2013, graduating summa cum laude. After exploring various art forms, she began lampworking in 2015 at Moxie Glass in Fort Collins, CO, under the instruction of Melissa Boyle. Following this apprenticeship, she attended the Scientific Glass Program at Salem Community College and learned coldworking techniques as part of the curriculum. She was quickly drawn to the process driven style of coldworking and the complex play of light and geometry that can be achieved with these techniques. Since moving back to Kansas City in 2021, she has continued exploring this style, creating larger and more complex works in her home studio. She has previously exhibited at the Salem Glass Education Center and the Belger Gallery. 

Artist Statement

As a glass artist, I am continually inspired by light and the unique ability of glass to interact with light. Glass, in the form of a prism, can break white light into all its constituent colors. Through spectroscopy, this rainbow shows us the composition and physical and chemical properties of everything around us, from flowers to distant galaxies. Analyzing light is how we know so much about the universe we inhabit. 

My creative process is a mix of planning and spontaneity. I begin by sketching out ideas and roughing out shapes, but as the process continues, I leave room for changes and experimentation. Coldworking is a highly meditative process that cannot be rushed, and pieces often take months to complete. I use a combination of hand lapping with loose grit and working with a flat lap to create perfectly polished surfaces that can be combined to create more complex patterns. My materials include optical, float, borosilicate, and dichroic glass.

Exhibitions