Meet Jennifer & David Clancy | Glass Artists

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jennifer & David Clancy and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jennifer & David, how do you think about risk?
The path of the Artist is all a risk.
Will people appreciate my work?
Will I make work that’s “good enough”?
Will people buy my work so that I can have validation?
Will people buy my work so I can pay my bills?

We came from backgrounds where certainly the elders might have had creative leanings, but our parents were not professional artists. For us to branch away from what was familiar when we grew up to new ways of living, and earning a living, was quite a leap of faith. In the beginning David and I both worked for other artists. That allowed for us to get our “feet wet” in the professional world of making and selling art before we took the plunge all on our own. Eventually we were tired of making our work part time and decided we were ready to build our own studio, and commit to being artists with no safety net.

We built Clancy Designs Glass Studio on the north side of our property in 2003. Walking to work in the morning is a luxury. Our commute may be filled with bird song, a stroll past the berry shrubs for a snack, find us covering our heads from down pours, or trudging through a foot of snow. No matter the weather in Rhode Island at least the walk is short. Working from home has its advantages (lunch at home) and disadvantages (you take your job home with you). In truth artists usually take their jobs home with them anyway, as it is a lifestyle as well as a profession. Our home, studio, and yard are all extensions of our creativity and the artist’s eye does not take a break. Over the years our love of home has helped us create pieces that are at home in other people’s houses. And our love of our gardens has been one of our muses for our sculptural work. It is ALL of a piece and the risk is that it’s ALL on the line as well. The fact that we make a living in an area of the economy known for being fickle to the point that making a five year plan is laughable is a little exciting and at times scary. But we love what we do and can’t imagine a world where we don’t get to create our work, our lifestyle, or our schedule. Some have said that once you’ve been bitten by the glass blowing bug you can never go back. That was certainly true for us when we were “bitten” three decades ago. So we try to balance work time with play time. Balance functional work with sculptural work. Balance the risk, with the excitement and fulfillment of living the creator’s life.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
We met in 1998 as individual glass artists and by 1999 were married and had joined professional forces as a husband and wife team. David has a production blowing background and Jennifer has a fine art background and between the two the team is balanced. We create functional and sculptural works that are know for their color and design work. We work from home in a rural area so creating experiences with customers and word of mouth recommendations have been the back bone of our business. Engaging with and teaching the public has truly been one of the blessings of our work life. We love to share our knowledge of the history of glass and how glass is made with people that visit our studio. Glass blowing lessons have been very popular for us as well. We spend about 6 months making functional work – which is the bread and butter of our business, 3 months making sculptural work – which is when we can let our creativity fly a bit freer, and 3 months off- doing equipment maintenance, designs work, installations, garden prep, or just having a rest. We are very curious people and tend to have a bit of a short attention span so having different modes of operation throughout the year creates a nice balance for us. It also has the advantage of keeping the making of all types of work fresh for us. We want people to be excited about both the ways in which we create. The functional work is an instrument of tactile enjoyment from day to day as one uses our pieces. The sculptural work brings beauty and weight to an interior space elevating it into a place that’s special. We have a deep commitment to making with glass and that shows in our work. Our clients and visitors to the studio have commented that they see and feel the time and care we put into our studio, our gardens, and our glass pieces.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Our little Island home has some really sweet spots to be sure but if we had a day to spend with a dear friend we would…. Take them walking on the rocks and to see the lighthouse at Beavertail State Park. Then to get an overview of Narragansett Bay we’d do “the loop” on the Jamestown – Newport Ferry run by Conanicut Marina. Lunch at JB’s on the Water has a FAB deck for outdoor dining that allows you to see the bay (order the Blueberry Lemonade!!). Then we’d of course head to our glass studio for an afternoon blowing lesson. Hit Windmist Farm to pick up some items to bring home – like honey, eggs, or grass fed beef. Then finish the day off with dinner at Our Table restaurant where the owners are true gems and the food is outstanding!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Shout out to all the art teachers in young peoples lives – with out you the creative rooms in our souls might lie dormant and dusty. Thank you for inspiring and encouraging us all!!!

Additional shout out to the Clancy and Morin families and to all our friends. You’ve all supported us so much we couldn’t have made it this far without our peeps!!!

Website: https://clancydesigns.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/clancy_designs

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/clancydesignsglassstudio

Image Credits
Photographs by Andrea Hansen