Glass Roots Studio offers creative outlet

By Beverly Drapalik

A peaceful site between Wilmington and Blanchester is one of the newest destinations for buying artful, useful gifts.

Mary Eason’s Glass Roots Studio includes a gift shop and working studio. She began Glass Roots in June 2016, and she admits she is happy. Her eyes light up when talking about her work.

Mary says, “When I was younger, I didn’t think I had any artistic ability.”

Then, at 51, she took a stained glass class and the realization hit.

“I don’t know where my passion came from,” she says.

She started with stained glass and now works with fused glass as well. In both procedures, glass is cut and ground, but the end process of soldering in stained glass or melting/fusing in fused glass, is different.

“I think I like the creativity in making fused glass,” she admits.

She works with entire bottles or tiny half-inch pieces of glass in the kiln. Several pieces of glass will fit into the kiln at one

time.

Mary offers several gifts in Glass Roots Studio: wall hangings, garden art, spoon rests, dishware, wind chimes, candle holders, incense burners, jewelry, wine racks, and more. She is also happy to create on commission. If a customer can “think it,” Mary will create it.

Several special projects keep Mary busy. Bob Baker, from St. Columkille, asks Mary to make memory crosses for families who have lost loved ones. The crosses are $40. She also gives away pocket crosses. Her popularity, though, reaches much farther than Wilmington.

One of Mary’s customers in Ohio has a friend in Alaska who wanted some wind chimes. The friend happens to be a psychic. The customer had asked Mary if she could create the wind chimes. The request was to make the center as a blue and white target and chimes twisted like candy canes. Soon after the gift was given, Mary received a thank-you note from Alaska, stating the chimes are exactly what the psychic wanted.

Mary enjoys the challenge of any project. A logo for the World Equestrian Center was handcrafted using mica powder. It can be seen on the Glass Roots Studio Facebook page. The current project in the studio is a stained glass horse. Perhaps that may be seen at one of Mary’s future events such as the Corn Festival in Wilmington, The Wheat Ridge Olde Thyme Herb Fair & Harvest Festival in Adams County, or Homespun Christmas in Clinton County.

Mary does have help at Glass Roots. Her daughter, Amanda, is a photographer, and her work can be found in the gift studio. She helps when needed. Husband Mike owns Eazon LLC, offering storage and auto repair at the same address. So, if Mary is in her studio, working at the kiln, Mike is always there to show customers the art.

Salt Magazine

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