Let Hunky Dory Tell the World Who You Are!
Meet Amy Flesher: Artist | Curator of Chaos
I make things that are fun and unusual using sophisticated processes and materials.
Even though many pieces are quirky, they still work in a “grown-up” décor. Hunky Dory Studio provides you with that unexpected statement piece that is totally unique and an expression of who you are! AND, they are always conversation starters!
At Hunky Dory Studio, skeletons are not just for Halloween and woodland animals are not just for nurseries!
These are the themes that make up my logo and are the images that are important in my personal design. The name Hunky Dory reflects how I want people to feel when they see my creations. I chose it to reflect the positive outlook that I have on design and life (and it is my favorite David Bowie album ; )
The majority of my work is in fused glass using an image transfer process in which photographs are literally melted into the glass.
The hand cut glass pieces are fired together in a kiln for about 15 hours up to nearly 1500 degrees.
The images are applied in a second firing for 15 hours up to 1300 degrees. Sometimes there is even a third firing…this is serious stuff!
I use this process to make one of a kind jewelry (including pendants and money clips), night lights, dishes, platters, ornaments, paper weights, and more. I also make bright and unique fused glass giftware and jewelry without imagery.
About Me
I have been crafty my whole life but started as a professional crafty person in 2013 as my “second act career”.
In 2012, a car crash left me with serious injuries that required several surgeries and nearly a year of physical therapy. Surviving something like this is an eye- (and heart) opening experience.
It made me realize that while I loved my career helping people as a mental health professional, that my true passion, is making things, restoring things or finding decorations for my home and myself that are unique and express me as an individual.
Despite my craftiness, I never considered myself an artist because I can’t draw. I was too intimidated to take any sort of art class because I was sure everyone would laugh! After four months of using a walker and wheelchair, I decided that as soon as I could walk again, I would start taking classes…any class, all classes!
I am fortunate enough to live in Cincinnati, OH where there are many learning opportunities in the arts.
My first class was blacksmithing where I was the only female and the only student wearing a full leg brace.
I started to feel my “creative self” gain power. I took more and more classes in ceramics, mold-making, printing, stained glass and fused glass. I started making things that made me feel good when I looked at them, and things that were not available in the mainstream market for grown-ups!
I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of every class. I bought a small 13” glass kiln to play with at home. Then, some friends I met in a class encouraged me to try to sell some of the things I was making. I couldn’t believe it but they were both professional artists and I trusted them. Just a little over a year after the car crash, I sublet some space in a local gallery and sold my first fused glass dishlette!!
Since then, I have invested in much bigger and better kilns and lots and lots of glass and accessories. I have created a real working artist’s studio in which I have handcrafted thousands of unique gifts for sale online, at arts and craft shows, and in several local and regional retail businesses.