Coulson Past and Present

—by Anne Walker

Glass artist Deb Brown has made her home in Sugarbush at Coulson for over 30 years. She is renowned for her fused glass sculptures and panels, stained glass art, and glass and metal sculptures. Her work is earth-oriented, drawing inspiration and images from the natural world and expressing a connection to nature and all of life.

Deb was raised in Barrie and, after living in the mountains of BC for a spell, she settled in Oro-Medonte in 1993. She was drawn by the rural beauty of the area with the rolling hills, abundant fields, and awe-inspiring views. Deb has witnessed many changes over the decades as the community of Sugarbush expanded and transitioned from seasonal to permanent homes. Still, she is grateful it has retained its quiet beauty. She loves her home with its peaceful setting, fresh air and starlit nights. She believes this place has provided the environment that has allowed her to be a professional, self-employed artist for 36 years. She lives in the older section of Sugarbush, which is very hilly and forested.  Her large window is at canopy level in the trees and looks out on the natural beauty that inspires her work.

Glass is an ancient medium and, for Deb, it is all about light, be it colourful panels that catch the sunlight in a window or her amazing free-standing sculptural pieces. For many years she worked primarily in stained glass. Constantly evolving and learning, she had ideas for creating interesting shapes but stained glass requires structural support. So, she learned to weld and make the metal work needed to hold her creations. Her search for new challenges continued and over the past fifteen years she has been working in fused glass.

Fused glass involves melting glass to a liquid form in a kiln. No metal support is needed, so the pieces are more open and ethereal. However, it is a process that requires a great deal of skill and precision. Each piece starts with a careful design, worked and reworked with pencil and paper. Then the glass or glass powder is prepared for the computer-programmed kiln. Here it undergoes a precisely-timed period of heating and cooling where minutes matter. A minute too short or long will affect the detail of the piece.

Deb’s work reflects and honours the natural world. A recent collection is called “Bird Songs”. These little fused glass birds come with a story that reminds us to appreciate moments of joy.

Each one is mounted on a piece of natural stone that Deb gathers herself. A very popular collection is her “Pine Trees”. Each one is unique and there are some new versions in the works. “Raven’s Vision” is another new collection.

A good portion of her business is custom work and relies on word-of-mouth marketing. Deb has been a regular stop on the Images Studio Tour each Thanksgiving, when she turns her home into an art gallery. Deb’s home studio is open year-round by appointment only and you can get in touch through her Facebook page. This year you can also find her at the Braestone Farm Christmas Market (December 7 and 8) where, along with her sculptural pieces, she’ll have fused glass jewelry, art-glass platters, and whimsical suncatchers.

Coulson is home to a surprising number of artists and artisans. How fortunate we are to have neighbours like Deb Brown putting beauty into the world and enriching our community.