Kat Moore’s glass studio is a creative haven in the middle world of Nanaimo.
The skylights create a flow of light that catches the glints of glass on the shelves and in containers. Shelves of plates, bowls, decorations, and glass sculpture, in various phases of completion are evident. It is obvious that this artist is actively engaged in her work and has a vibrant life, full of colour and inspiration, in her studio.
Moore shares that she was always an artistic child, begging her parents for art supplies and attending community art classes. She grew up in Nanaimo and enjoyed summer pottery, drawing, clay classes through Parks and Recreation. As a young adult, she attended Malaspina College and took art classes and eventually enrolled in an Interior Design program in Victoria.
A breakthrough in her creative direction came in the late 1990s following a stained glass workshop with a local artist. She found an affinity with the art and spent five years working at a local glass shop; it was here that she learned glass fusion and studied with artists and teachers Bob Leatherbarrow and Brock Craig.
Fused glass, glass that has been fired in a kiln, has a long, rich history. Egyptians and Romans both used the technique in their glassware. Most contemporary fusing methods involve stacking, or layering, thin sheets of glass, using different colors to create patterns or simple images. The stack is then placed inside the kiln and then heated through a series of rapid heating cycles until the separate pieces of glass begin to bond together. The glass is then allowed to cool slowly over a specified time.
Moore’s glass works are inspired by local nature, art nouveau styles and also by artists Gustav Klimt, Frank Lloyd Wright, Georgia O’Keeffe, and Frida Kahlo.
Moore works full-time in her studio to stock the store and to have a supply for shows. Her art can be found at the gift shop at the Ladysmith Waterfront Gallery, Artsy Stuff in Nanaimo, Lovecraft in Tofino, Salish Sea Market in Bowser, West Coast Community Craft Store in Port Hardy and the Little Cricket Gift Gallery in Maple Ridge.
Her next shows include A Small Gesture and Natural Elements, both in Nanaimo, and Arts on the Avenue in August in Ladysmith.