TANYA LYONS

Tanya uses glass in combination with natural and found objects to express and reflect her thoughts, experiences and questions about the world we live in and who we are.

Tanya Lyons graduated with honours from the Sheridan College glass program. She also studied at the University of Art and Design Helsinki, Finland, The Atlin Art Centre in BC, and the Toyama Institute of Glass Art in Japan. She taught glass at Sheridan College for four years, was a resident at the Harbourfront Centre in Toronto, ON, as well as volunteering on the Board of Directors for the Glass Art Association of Canada.

After 14 years in Quebec and working closely with Galerie Elena Lee, Tanya moved back to her hometown community in Ontario to raise her daughter and continue her sculptural work with glass. Tanya continues to teach in the glass program at the Haliburton School of Art and Design, is a collaborating artist with the Ottawa Valley Community Arts organization and was the Coordinator of the Madawaska Valley Studio Tour for five years. Her work has been exhibited throughout North America, Finland and Japan.

ARTIST STATEMENT

I have always been a gatherer, collecting and taking in objects, moments and memories. As I move through life I take traces with me, from the places I walk and the people I meet.

When I unexpectedly entered into glass I discovered a material that had a life of its own, rich with qualities and full of endless possibilities to reflect life. I fell in love with clear glass and the strength it held. I started to combine glass with natural objects to reflect moments and emotions. I used glass as a carrier or shell, placing natural objects within to add colour, texture and a sense of familiarity.

I started making life size glass dresses to express the idea of changing how you feel as simply as changing your clothes. Thinking about how different clothing can affect how we feel or how we are seen.

As a continuation of this concept and theme of clothing, I decided to reflect back on my time of living in Japan and made a series of metal mesh and glass Kimonos that hang on the wall. Japanese have traditionally used their Kimonos to express different aspects about the wearer. I found this idea very interesting as well as being drawn to the simple but very striking form, making them a perfect canvas to express thoughts and conceptual landscapes.

This work as well as new work that I have been developing expresses moments in time, escapism and change. Questioning our identity and the roles we play in society. Creating pieces that trigger thoughts and raise questions about what is really important for quality of life.

After working in clear glass for 25 years I have transitioned into working with coloured glass, exploring different states of change that we move through, finding the transition of colours inspiring and powerful.

To explore and reflect the changes we experience, I made four life size cloaks out of stainless steel mesh, glass and mixed materials. Together they represent the cycles and changes we go through, then individually they go deeper into different types of change.

I chose the cloak form as an outer layer, giving shelter and protection to the human form. I then used various hot, warm and cold glass techniques, and the qualities of the material to reflect different states of change. Glass is the perfect material to use since it’s a material that is created through change, in heat, natural raw materials change in form and state, going from a solid to a liquid to a solid again, making it a material of cycles as well.

After living away for most of my life, I have returned to the Ottawa Valley, to the rocks, trees and water, to a place that heals and inspires. Bringing natural elements back into my work and drawing importance to the environment that surrounds and supports us.