June 12, 2010 in Washington Voices

Gallery owner has a heart of glass

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The city of Millwood became a little more colorful recently with the opening of an art gallery and gift shop that features the work of a local glass artist.

Teresa Peluso-Antosyn opened The Millwood Gallery in the heart of downtown Millwood in a quaint brick building along Euclid Avenue on May 15. She currently is seeking works from other area artists to showcase and already has pieces from a photographer, jewelry designer and wood crafter and furniture maker.

Peluso-Antosyn is a self-taught glass artist, painter and musician who has long been working on her fused-glass pieces mostly as a hobby at her home workshop.

She unveiled many of her works from storage, including platters, candleholders and wall hangings, when she opted to venture into business ownership.

“I feel really good about it and feel really good about being a business owner in Millwood,” Peluso-Antosyn said. “I think it’s going to be a lot of fun.”

An open house of the gallery is scheduled from 1 to 9 p.m. Saturday, June 26, and will include entertainment in the fenced backyard of the building. Peluso-Antosyn and her husband, Paul, are members of the local band Lazy Boy.

At first step into the cozy first room of the gallery, customers will notice the vast array of colors along shelves and lining the walls. Peluso-Antosyn’s pieces are functional for serving food, although not for cooking.

The glass already has been hot – the temperature in her kiln reaches up to 1,700 degrees Fahrenheit to meld together glass. She also sells melted decorative wine bottles, each with a spreading knife, starting at about $20.

Her other creative pieces include wall hangings such as the 15-inch long running horse of cut and fused brown and clear glass that has depth and brightness. She uses a special saw with water for cutting detailed pieces. The horse costs about $65.

“When I shop for glass I am not always aware of what I am going to do with it,” she says. “I’ve been known to have a huge spread of different colors of glass laying across my work bench or dining room table for days – I match colors that I feel will go together, then the designs just come to me.

“After a piece is placed into the kiln it has to undergo a heating process that can take several hours – eight to 12 – to complete the process,” she explains. “The kiln still has to cool down to room temperature before you can take the piece out. This step is the most difficult for me as I am so anxious to see how my piece has turned out.”

Peluso-Antosyn has painted for several years and started working with stained glass some 15 years ago. She was drawn to fused glass about a decade ago after she received a piece as a gift. She recently began exploring painting on glass with finely ground glass and a liquid medium, a technique called frit, that is fired and produces a piece with lots of texture.

“Glass is an unpredictable art form,” she says.“ You may not always get what you expected, but you can always count on a most wonderful surprise. I have rarely been disappointed.”

Are you opening a new business in the greater Spokane Valley? Is your business expanding, moving or remodeling? Are you wondering about that new store that has opened in your neighborhood? Send an e-mail to Voices editor Jeff Jordan at jeffj@spokesman.com

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