Carlyn Ray

Glass Artist

For Carlyn, the ultimate experience comes through elevating the personal connection with the piece, finding the purity within the design, and feeling the energy radiating from the creation of the art.

Carlyn shares her love of the process through her community studio, Dallas Glass Art, where people take classes and enjoy the experience of making their own pieces. Her passion project, Art Reaching Out (ARO), is the non-profit she founded to excite creative learning by incorporating hands-on STEAM lessons through making a glass piece, usually a site-specific installation. ARO is aimed towards working with underprivileged students, especially young women. Carlyn hopes to be a model to encourage others to follow their own dreams.

Carlyn loves sharing creativity and allowing people to be a part of their piece. She loves working with glass so much that it is a joy for her to share it with others.

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“…from the moment I saw molten glass I was captivated. To me, blowing glass is an art form from beginning to end. The material itself is a mystery. Molten sand, at the temperature of lava, formed with one’s breath, hand, and gravity into a crystalline, delicate form…”

Artist Statement

The material itself is a mystery. Molten sand, at the temperature of lava, is formed with one’s breath, hand, and gravity into a delicate crystal form. Glass as a material can transmit or reflect light; it can be solid and strong or thin and fragile; it can outlive us for hundreds of years or break in an instant.

Working with the material is marvelous and a joy for me. I love the way it glows and changes hues from the metals added to create colors, to the light it shines from the heat and temperatures. Working with glass is being a part of it, being one with it. This present joy I believe transfers into the pieces we are working on. With its unique properties and beauty, a single glass piece can transform a room.

I raised silkworms as a child, and I became enamored by the life cycle of butterflies, woven patterns of light, and the transition from nourished safety to flying freely. My ideas emerge from this idea of nesting, growing, and the presence of now. Glass resonates in any space, light brings a presence to the room, and color captures a feel to the area. Together and with intention, I love using design to enhance any space to its fullest potential. I use glass to bring people into their space fully, presently, and with joy.

– Carlyn Ray

Dallas Glass Art (DGA)

The studio Dallas Glass Art shares the creative process through workshops, team building events, and private parties. Glass is captivating to all generations, from grandparents to the youngest child. Sculpt a flower, host your birthday party, or bring your business for a unique and magical experience.

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Art Reaching Out (ARO)

Art Reaching Out, a 501(c)(3) non-profit, is a creative learning program whose purpose is to involve young women and under-resourced students in building glass art installations through a STEAM curriculum. We are currently working with Cristo Rey, Irma Rangel, Cafe Momentum, and other DISD schools.

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