Linda Soos became enticed with glass art while in her twenties, finding the colors and light shining through captivating. After taking a class, she was certain glass was the medium for her, and began furthering her skills independently. “I was a young mom, enjoying life and raising my children, and they loved watching me,” says Soos. “I gave them scraps of glass to experiment with and they [would create] their own little pieces of art.” Later in life, having grown weary of grinding and soldering glass, the artist began experimenting with a glass-on-glass method, making windows using custom frames her husband would make for her. Currently, Soos’ glorious glass mosaic windows are on display at the Gold Country Artists’ Gallery. 

HLB: Being self-taught, what techniques do you incorporate to stay focused? 

LS: My techniques were developed as time went on, with practice and being fearless to both try and fail and try and succeed. My failures are hanging around my deck, and my successes are either sold, with family, or on display in the gallery. I have a couple of rules for myself: Never stop progressing, don’t be afraid to fail and try again, and only work when you’re inspired and rested. Art is supposed to be fun, not stressful. I want my customers and the people who visit the gallery to enjoy what I do.

HLB: Describe your process of glass-on-glass?

LS: I choose a color or two of glass that’s inspiring to me, then think about what I can do with them. I don’t ever use patterns—my work develops from my imagination and things I see in nature. I like to use tiny pieces of glass; some of them can be challenging, because of the bumps and unevenness, but the results are beautiful and interesting. I use deeper tones to create shadowing and depth. Once my vision is evident, I start to cut and break the glass and glue the pieces to one sheet of clear, double-thick glass, building my design. Once the piece is all cut and glued, it sits for a couple of weeks so it cures, then I grout. After it’s dry, I head to Pop Art for a beautiful custom frame job.

HLB: Where do you seek inspiration?

LS: I get most of my inspiration from nature. I love to create glass flowers, trees, birds and bees. I live in the Sierras so inspiration is all around me; butterflies are one of my favorites. Lake Tahoe has given me lots of inspiration, too. I find that anytime I’m there, I have ideas for my artwork.

HLB: What advice do you have for balancing family life with art?

LS: My family has always been supportive of my art, and they’ve given me lots of inspiration from the beginning. I’m no expert, but I can say that family comes first, and the art will follow when the time is right. My daughter, Branda Corey, is a flamework glass artist at Gold Country Artists’ Gallery; my mom was a painter; and my grandmother was a musician and very artistic—so you can see it runs in the family!

By Heather L. Becker // Artist photos by Dante Fontana. Artwork photos courtesy of Linda Soos.
For more info, visit Soos’ “A View Just For You” page on Facebook.