It wasn’t exactly a straight line.
Color, Glass & a Life of Creativity
I’m Mary Sherwood, a contemporary fused glass artist in the Tucson, Arizona area, creating colorful, one-of-a-kind art for the home and garden. My work ranges from wall art and tabletop pieces to large glass-and-metal garden sculptures, created for people who love color, distinctive design, and art that brings personality to a space.
Before becoming a glass artist, I spent more than 30 years as an interior designer. That experience still influences everything I create. I understand how color, scale, light, and placement can transform a room—and how one special piece of art can completely change the way a space feels.
How I Found Glass
My creative journey didn’t begin with glass.
I grew up in Norfolk, Virginia, where the Chesapeake Bay was my playground. After becoming a registered nurse and later earning a master’s degree in nursing, my creative side eventually led me in a very different direction: interior design.
For nearly three decades, I owned an interior design business in northeastern North Carolina. During those years, I began incorporating art glass accessories into my projects. Eventually, I decided I wanted to learn how to make glass myself. It was love at first sight.
Creating in the Arizona Landscape
After moving to the Tucson area, my work evolved again. The colors, forms, plants, mountains, and extraordinary Arizona light offered an entirely new source of inspiration. My work ranges from colorful tabletop and wall pieces to tall glass-and-metal sculptures designed for gardens, courtyards, and dramatic interiors.
Today, I create kiln-formed glass in my home studio overlooking the Santa Catalina Mountains.
There was something irresistible about the combination of color, transparency, light, chemistry, and a little unpredictability. Glass gave me a completely new way to express the love of color that had been with me all my life.
Whatever the scale, I want my work to do one thing: bring color, energy, and a little joy into the spaces where people live.
Because I still believe—
Life is too short to live without color!