Sleepin’ Dog at ArtWalk

While enjoying the colorful leaves of the Blue Ridge Mountains, leaf-lookers may stop by ArtWalk to see the luscious colors of fused glass.

Sleepin’ Dog brings beautifully designed glass pieces full of rich colors to bring indoors.

From picture frames to jewelry, what began as a phase and escalated into an addiction eventually has resulted in Nancy Brooks coining a business as creative as its name.

Brooks, president of Sleepin’ Dog, launched the business in 1994, naming her glass studio after her three cocker spaniels. She has always had dogs, but said she gets so much more work done when they are sleeping.

Brooks said the idea for the business was launched from her bedside table. Currently, her studio is in the lower part of her Greensboro home, originally built as a woodworker’s shop. Brooks said she inherited an enormous space, which accommodates such materials as the large kilns she uses to fire and fuse glass. According to Brooks, the craft of firing glass is different from glass blowing, where glass is formed in a molten, semi-liquid state, but can be just as rewarding and spectacular as a finished product.

Brooks stumbled into her artistry by accident. With small children at home, she began to save money during the holidays by making Christmas gifts for family and friends. Her gifts quickly advanced to painting wine glasses and creating kiln-fired glass. Within six months, she was hooked.

Brooks received a bachelor’s degree in sociology from Mary Baldwin College in Virginia and a master’s degree in anthropology from the State University of New York at Buffalo. Without a background in art – but with a handful of technical art courses, including at the world-renowned Penland School of Crafts – Brooks learns by trial and error and has molded herself into a full-fledged artist. Over the last 15 years, her work has undergone many transformations. Brooks’ designs have expanded to include items such as jewelry, vases, wine glasses, plates, and silver and metal pieces. She is constantly coming up with new ideas.

Brooks absorbs her inspiration from everywhere, especially her husband and three sons. She travels across the country going to craft shows and is featured in many galleries. Much of her travels have introduced her to artists who have led to new ideas and different techniques. Brooks said it’s energizing to see what other artists are doing.

Nancy Brooks’ work is located on ArtWalk’s main level. With three and a half floors and more than 300 local, regional and national artists, ArtWalk is located at 611 W. King St. (across from Mast General Store) Boone, N.C. 28607. Though ArtWalk is open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday from 12 to 5 p.m, customers may shop all the time at the gallery’s new online store. ArtWalk continually welcomes new artists of all media and ages to inquire about individual gallery booths for rent. For more information, call (828) 264-9998, email artwalkboone@yahoo.com or visit www.artwalkboone.com.