Cathy Van Aken

Cathy Van Aken is a glass and clay artist who works as Howling Woman Studio. She spent many years writing for a living and finds making visual work very liberating. Her work focuses on symmetry and asymmetry, positive and negative space, curve and line, and contrast, along with the human face and how people relate to each other and their surroundings.

In glass she fuses and slumps sheet glass, stringers, rods and frit into plates, drop-out bowls and glass "paintings." She uses lost wax casting for solid glass sculpture and pâte de verre for very thin, delicate pieces, and pulls her own murrine. Her clay work is mostly human faces and expressions, especially masks. Her portfolio covers sushi plates, bowls, jewelry, sculpture, masks, tapestries and frit drawings.