Nancy Brooks/Sleepin’ Dog Studios

Creativity in process can be seen in multitudinous projects clustered on large worktables and counters in the Sleepin’ Dog Studio. Glass picture frames, bowls, goblets, flutes, jewelry, doorknobs, many featuring Nancy’s hallmark jewel motif, adorn every shelf on all four walls. They are visible testimonies to Nancy’s passion for brilliant color. “I love color! I think it’s truly entertaining to the eye to see color,” she explains. “Even if it’s not always bright color, there’s contrast and textures of color as glass really does encompass the best qualities of color.”

Nancy’s passion for brilliant color is also visible in painted furniture pieces, wooden picture frames, and benches. Painting furniture was the seed for this thriving enterprise. Nancy was searching for something to help her feel better, to relieve the stress of dealing with a recalcitrant teenager.

“I began to paint furniture because it was so refreshing. The furniture was quiet, the paint did what I told it to do, and it was attractive to look at. It was a pleasant experience and it just felt good to do it. You could feel the stress go away. Maybe that was a measurable moment.”

Nancy says she developed her “expertise” in glass making through practice — disaster after disaster. She drew upon a large dose of self-confidence and combined it with a mindset that you can make something else out of a seeming disaster. “Pieces can be broken up and added to something else and it will add a new dimension to it that wouldn’t have been had that not happened. It’s a real stepping stone.” That’s the philosophical underpinning for Nancy’s artistic hallmark, the jewel motif.

Determination to make things work fuels Nancy’s creativity. She shared a favorite story about creating success from a disaster. She was creating a set of 14 champagne flutes, however, she over-fired them in the kiln. The stems melted together, yet the goblets were still vertical. She knew there had to be a way to make use of that piece. She chose a vase and sold it as a one-of-a-kind, never-to-be-replicated vase.”

“Not everyone likes what I do and it doesn’t hurt my feelings. It’s absolutely fine because I like it. And, there are enough people around who like it too.”

From transforming disasters into artistic hallmarks and one-of-a-kind vases to maintaining pricing integrity, what works for Nancy Brooks is “to give myself permission to do what in my heart of hearts feels like the right thing to do.”

Featured Collections:

Location: 8010 Illinois Road Fort Wayne, IN 46804 260.432.5498

Nancy Brooks/Sleepin’ Dog Studios

Featured Collections:

Location:
8010 Illinois Road
Fort Wayne, IN 46804
260.432.5498