Meet Cora Salvino

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Cora Salvino. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Cora below.

Cora, so great to have you with us and we want to jump right into a really important question. In recent years, it’s become so clear that we’re living through a time where so many folks are lacking self-confidence and self-esteem. So, we’d love to hear about your journey and how you developed your self-confidence and self-esteem.

Even though I have been doing glass art for almost 50 years, I only developed the confidence to call myself an artist about 5 years ago. I never went to art school or even had any real art classes other than minor 1 day classes for specific glass working techniques. I felt that I couldn’t call myself an artist as a result. However, about 5 years ago, I started trying to sell my art and found that people liked it and were willing to pay for it, I finally found the confidence to claim the title “artist”.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

I worked professionally as a OB/GYN physician for over 40 years while making glass art “on the side”. As I approached retirement as a physician, I decided to focus on my glass art and see how far I could develop it.
As a glass artist, I am captivated by the dance of light and color within the transparent depths of glass. With each piece, I strive to capture the ephemeral beauty of the world around me and distill it into vibrant, tactile creations.
My work is a celebration of the intricate interplay between form and texture, as molten glass transforms under the heat of the kiln, yielding to my vision while retaining its own essence. Each piece I create is a testament to the magical alchemy that occurs within the confines of the kiln—a symphony of molten glass and imagination. In a world often fraught with chaos and uncertainty, I want my creations serve as a reminder of the inherent wonder that surrounds us. Glass brings me joy. I seek to share that joy.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

I entered Medicine in a world where women were not desired or respected as physicians. This made me work harder and develop a thick skin to let the constant insults slide off. I believe that this work ethic and resiliency that I developed as a physician has translated into my art practice and is helping me to succeed in my second career as an artist.

What is the number one obstacle or challenge you are currently facing and what are you doing to try to resolve or overcome this challenge?

My current obsession is with making larger and larger works of art. I would like to move into the area of works of public art so that my glass can inspire more people to see glass as an art form and not just a utilitarian object. My challenge is the size of my kilns. Even if I get a larger kiln, there is an inherent limit to the size of the piece that can be produced. My challenge, therefore, is to learn how to incorporate other materials into my artwork in order to combine glass panels and make larger works of art. To that end, I am taking classes to learn how to work with other materials, such as wood and steel to provide support for my glass.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.corasglass.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/corasglass
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Cora’s Art Glass