Meet Kira Vozzola, #ArtGlassFinest August 2023

 

How the heck is it already August?! We took a little summer vacay in July, but we are back and ready to showcase some more incredible artists! Please welcome Kira Vozzola, a Las Vegas native who has not only an awesome story but also has incredible work. Let's jump into the feature, shall we?!

--

Tell us a little bit about yourself: who you are, where you are from, how you got into glass.

My name is Kira Vozzola and I am from Las Vegas, NV! I have lived here almost my entire life, I met my husband Eric in college, and we are raising our two little boys as we navigate our way as full time artists. I have always been a creative person and had been trying to constantly figure out what medium I wanted to use. I was working in a very corporate HR position within the hotel/casino industry and the pandemic changed everything. I didn’t go back. Fast forward a few months, I was a brand new Momma and we decided to take a month long road trip throughout California with our 9 month old. Our very last stop was in Joshua Tree, CA. I am a big boutique fan and we were walking through the town, stopping into the stores, and I saw a stained glass sun-catcher in a window. I knew right in that moment, that was going to be my medium. I was so excited! When we got back home my husband surprised me with a beginner kit, once I broke into it and started to make pieces, I was hooked!

How long have you been working with glass in general?

I have been working with glass since January 2021.

What is the focus of your work, any inspiration behind it?

I am a huge outdoorsy person and I find a lot of guidance in nature. The tranquility of a cotton candy sunset here in the desert or the peacefulness of a hummingbird stopping by to say ‘hello’ really makes me happy. The name of my business is derived from ‘Polar Aurora’. My husband and I got engaged under the Aurora in Alaska, so when I say outdoor, I mean it! Another big focus in my work is the simplicity in the designs I use. I don’t usually do pieces that have smaller pieces of glass within it. The reason I do this is to show off the beauty of the glass itself.

How long have you used our products, and do you use them exclusively?

I have used your products since I started in stained glass! I don’t use them exclusively, but I do prefer your glass as the quality of it is unmatched. There is always at least one piece of Oceanside in my final pieces.

Is there anything that makes our product stand out from the rest- a reason why you choose to use it? What do you look for in glass when you are sourcing it for your next project? (ie: color, texture, quality etc.)

I remember going to my local glass shop and noticing your name ‘Oceanside’, I was curious how on earth I would know the difference between different glass manufacturers. I quickly learned how easy it was for me to distinguish that difference. Your glass cuts like butter! It is so smooth and the sheets themselves are so evenly distributed with color that you know the same sheet of glass will be consistent if you buy it one day and then a year later. The color, the way it scores, and how it breaks is huge to me. I don’t want to have a lot of waste considering the quality of your glass is so high. So, the glass breaking the way I intend it to is important.

Are you teaching a class or launching anything we should be aware of?!

I am not teaching any classes, but I would eventually love to teach high school kids about this lost art. Fortunately, with these past few years it has really gained traction and a lot of people are so interested in stained glass and everything you can do with it. It has also made people realize that it has always been around and it is a matter of looking up and around! Here in Las Vegas, there isn’t much focus on art in high schools and I would love to help change that. Speaking of looking at something that has always been around, I am launching a collection in the next couple weeks based on food. It will be food that my babies love, food that my family loves, silly food, yummy food, but I am adding a little goofy surprise to some of the designs too. I can’t wait to show everyone!

Do you have any big projects in the works or coming up? Any works you are
particularly proud of?

In the next few months, I am hoping to start to work on larger panels for clients to place within their existing windows. I am going to start with a window in our house that is a porthole. It is perfect in my eyes and always gets sunlight.The logistics of moving from smaller sun-catchers to larger windows is intimidating to be honest but I think it’ll add so much character to houses here in Las Vegas that are more cookie cutter. Or, even more of a fun ambiance to an older home in the heart of Downtown. I am also hoping to be in some art galleries! I have been approached and the timing unfortunately hasn’t worked out. My goal is to have pieces ready for any future ones!

Tell us one fun fact about you or your work.

Can I say 2? You know that one scene in ‘Mrs. Doubtfire’ where Robin Williams is working in that television/film studio and starts to rap with all of the dinosaur toys? I can perform that whole rap. I’m very proud of myself for that. Oh, and I also, for the life of me, cannot pronounce the word ‘mercury’. :)

--

Okay that was a FUN feature, was it not?! Thanks so much Kira for being so candid with us and for sharing your story. I think a lot of folks can relate to the discovery of glass as a hobby and appreciate hearing about an artist that has successfully made the switch from a corporate job to full time glass!

Thanks for stopping by to read this feature. As always, Stay Glassy and we will see you next month ;)