Artist Spotlight: Jane Irvine Cairns

Jane Irvine Cairns–an artist and Sea Cliff resident who creates fused glass jewelry and decorative objects–has always known that creativity was in her genes, whether she was designing jewelry, dabbling in water colors or performing in a bagpipe band as the lead drummer.

Cairns opened her company, Glassworks by JCI, 19 years ago. She started with screen printings and glass etchings. While searching the internet 12 years ago, she came across fused glass, an art form that dates back to Ancient Egyptians.

"I bought a kiln, supplies and jumped right into it," said Cairns. "I have never looked back. It is a medium that has never become boring, tiring or stale for me. I have more ideas than I have hours in the day."

Always on the look out for new ideas to spur on her creativity, Cairns recently started Green Spirits – the eco-friendly division of her company. She rescues bottles and antique windows from being dumped into land-fills and then crafts them into wall hangings, sculptures, wind and rain chimes along with her signature jewelry.

"With the exception of being a great mom to my daughter, there is nothing in my life that brings a higher high as creating new works of art," she said. "It is a satisfying thing to say 'I am an artist.' There is great satisfaction in the act of creating something and putting it out into the world."

Cairns often tries to incorporate her art into the community. This year, she brought a fused glass project to her daughter's school in Sea Cliff which is now a ten by two foot mural that is permanently installed just inside the front entrance of the school.  The mural–which Cairns calls "Peacing It Together–" includes 66 randomly shaped tiles that were created individually by each student.

While Cairns is very much connected to the local art scene, she said that in 10 years she hopes to find success on a larger scale.

"I see myself not just as a local artist but as an accomplished artist on a national or international level. I would like to see my work appreciated by a much larger audience with more opportunities to create new works and follow new paths."

Not one to keep her talents to herself, Cairns offers fused glass classes at Studio 44 in Glen Head and conducts workshops at The Art League of Long Island.

Cairns' jewelry has been featured in the Nassau County Museum of Art, Think Long Island First, and in local galleries around the island.

You can contact Jane Cairns Irvine, the creative genius behind Glassworks by JCI,
at 516-216-4630 or info@glassworksbyjci.com.