-
1 of 10
-
2 of 10
-
3 of 10
-
4 of 10
-
5 of 10
-
6 of 10
-
7 of 10
-
8 of 10
-
9 of 10
-
10 of 10
Artist reflects on career in glass
Archive
Comments
Story
For nearly 30 years, Lindley Glass Studio has been a part of the downtown Boise scene.
Owner and self-taught glass artist Cheri Lindley has honed her craft and spread skill to those eager to learn.
Born in Oregon, and raised in Idaho, Lindley began working with glass in 1970.
A graduate of Boise Junior College in 1956, Lindley became inspired to work with glass when many of Boise’s historic buildings were being demolished in the 1960s.
“Our church was being torn down here in Boise. I kept looking at the windows and thinking ‘How sad that it’s going under the wrecking ball’ … somebody should be able to do something with the scrap if nothing else,” Lindley said.
“My husband, for Mother’s Day, he and the kids gave me a box with some supplies and books and stuff which basically meant ‘either put up or shut up,’ you know. If you think somebody can do it then go for it.”
In 2000, Lindley Glass Studio moved from its small nook on Main Street to an impressive 10th Street location. The gallery space itself is not much bigger, but it’s the studio that makes the difference.
“I did start teaching classes [at the Main Street shop],” Lindley said.
“But we taught classes in the runway behind [the building] where they brought in the beer for the Bistro,” she said.
“In the daytime we couldn’t use it at all, and we had classes at night. There was the smell of smoke and stale beer and Chapala’s garbage can was right outside the studio. That was nice in the summertime.”
The classroom at the rear of the 10th Street showroom is spacious, hung with works by students and Lindley herself.
A small percentage of the pieces are actually Lindley’s – as most of her work is commission – but she does a few pieces on display and there is a collection of photos of her creations.
There are several fine examples of her three-dimensional glasswork; a technique practiced by few and one Lindley developed herself.
“I worked pretty much in isolation here in Boise. I’ve done a lot of things that, if I’d been in an area with a lot of glass people, I probably wouldn’t have tried because somebody would have said ‘You can’t do that’ … I just started doing it. Nobody said I couldn’t,” she said.
“I’ll try anything once if it isn’t illegal or too immoral. A lot of the things I do, I developed on my own because the idea would occur to me. Some of them haven’t worked, some have.”
Lindley also does restorations. She recently completed restoring a century-old window on President Charles Ruch’s Warm Springs’ home.
She has constructed windows for many residences as well as churches in Adrian and Nyssa, Ore. and Challis and Payette.
All the Northwest Coastal Indian pieces in the shop are of her own design but Lindley said her favorite medium is antique hand-blown glass.
“It’s not perfect. It has bubbles and streaks and striations, and when the light hits them it just fractures the light and does wonderful things,” she said.
Lindley Glass Studio is currently running a show of student stained glass. Many of the pieces are first attempts, but look like professionals made them.
A number of classes are offered in sandblast etching, stained glass and mosaic making.
Rates and duration run from $75 and four weeks for etching to $175 and 16 weeks for building a Tiffany-style lamp.
Tools and materials are not included and run around $100 for a beginning class.
A schedule and description of classes are available at Lindley Glass Studio. Call 342-8024 for more information.
Lindley Glass Studio also carries a variety of hand-blown glass and gift items.
Kate Roberson, The Arbiter
