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144-148 Cassandria Gallery_Carmel Mag 4/26/13 5:58 PM Page 3 "I consider myself a painter who was adopted into the glass world," the artist says. The story of how Blackmore hit upon her technique of reverse glass painting in works such as "Helios" (Top) and "Navigatio" (Bottom) is as interesting and as compelling as her work. that self-portrait. Then she begins the painstaking task of reassembly on a plywood background, using grout to fill in the spaces. When reassembled a piece will grow in size due to the space that grout occupies between the shards. "I really like the way the process somewhat distorts the images," the artist muses. The morning following that Seattle studio apartment epiphany, Blackmore got right to work. "I couldn't wait to do it again," she recalls. Unable to afford to buy materials for her newfound medium, she headed out into the misty morning to go Dumpster diving for glass. She took classes in glass art, notably earning a full-ride scholarship for a two-week residence at Pilchuck Glass School in Seattle, co-founded by legendary glass artist Dale Chihuly. But she didn't forget her roots. "I consider myself a painter who was adopted into the glass world," Blackmore says, "and I'm lucky to have been adopted by that community." When painting on the backside of a sheet of Things were looking up, and she amassed a was a childhood based in creativity," the artist glass, what would normally be applied last has to body of pieces, displayed in her loft/stu- recalls. "I was lucky to have free-thinking parents." be painted first. "It's painting backwards," she dio/galler y space in an industrial section of With such a colorful family background, "I had no adds. "The thought process has to be entirely Seattle. A collector visited, fell in love with the choice but to become an artist." reversed." For instance, highlights—white paint work and purchase the entire collection— With every rainbow comes a raincloud, and strokes that delineate the direction and intensi- including that original self-portrait. Blackmore, Blackmore was also given a major hurdle to ty of light—are applied at the outset. In the ini- now sure she was on to something big, was off overcome: severe dyslexia. She's good at mem- tial stages of a painting, it looks like a disorgan- and running. orizing things, but not so much at reading com- ized, unrecognizable mess. down on ten bucolic acres in Oregon. "Mine There's no doubt: Cassandria Blackmore is a position. "It's a miracle I got through college," And when a painting is finished? It's beautiful, a game-changer. Verre églomisé—the art of paint- Blackmore says. Nothing gets this woman down, sinuous symphony of color and composition. So, ing on the back of glass—has been around for however. "My disability is a gift." It allows her she breaks it. Into smithereens. Sometimes with a centuries, though that form usually involves met- mind to visualize a painting from back to front. hammer, sometimes just by dropping it. Just like als such as gold. And people have been breaking 146 C ARMEL MAGAZINE•SPRING/SUMMER 2013