​Lydia Ann Piper

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Lydia Piper is a self-described “Air Force brat,” who was born in Tokyo, Japan in 1958.  Traveling the world and moving every few years, her family eventually settled in New Mexico in 1971.   After earning a degree in Journalism and Photography from the University of New Mexico in 1984, Piper moved to Los Angeles where she free-lanced as a writer/photographer for several area publications.   In 1991, she returned to Albuquerque and began exploring her interest in art which eventually led to her work in fused glass and stained glass mosaics. 

 

Intrigued by the medium of fused glass, Piper began to explore opportunities to learn as much as she could by taking classes with talented glass artists around the United States.  After taking several courses, she began to develop a style that merged form, color and pattern to create one-of-a-kind pieces of glass art, blending contemporary and traditional themes.   Piper acknowledges that producing the kind of glass art she does requires a lot of time and dedication, but manages to find the time between her full-time job and other commitments. 

 

“I always wanted to be an artist,” Piper said, “but sometimes life will take a person down a different path than the one envisioned when young.  I enjoy my job and am able to incorporate a lot of creativity into the work I do.  But I don’t know what the future holds, so I don’t want to wait until I retire to pursue my artistic passions.  I have an opportunity now to produce work that is admired and appreciated by others, and believe it is time well spent. ”

 

Piper is the owner of Grand Mesa Studios and her work is featured in galleries in New Mexico and in private collections around the world.  Her work has also been featured in shows and exhibitions, as well as several publications.  She is praised for her fused glass art, as well as her stained glass mosaics, and was a contributor to the “Protect Our Wildlife Corridors Community Mosaic’s Project,” a series of mosaic panels sponsored by Pathways-Wildlife Corridors of New Mexico.  Piper is a member of Glass Alliance New Mexico, Society of American Mosaic Artists, New Mexico Pottery and Clay Artists and Mosaic New Mexico.  She lives and works in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

 

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