Demetra Theofanous

Artist Bio:

Demetra Theofanous has been immersed in the arts from a very young age, starting with violin lessons at the age of 4.  With the addition of piano, ballet, and theater as she grew older, her exploration of creative mediums grew.

This thirst for expression was temporarily diverted, when she received her business degree from the Haas School of Business, at UC Berkeley.  She graduated and spent time working in San Francisco, only to realize there was something missing in her work and she needed to find a way to return to her creative roots.

Demetra entered the medium of glass through the art of lampworking, creating glass beads as a hobby.  She quickly realized her ideas needed to be translated on a larger scale, and transitioned from making beads to creating glass sculpture on the torch.  After a brief internship in borosilicate glass, coupled with time as Dean Bensen’s assistant, she spent hours experimenting until she developed the techniques needed to create her nests, flowers, and branches.  While this time alone had its’ challenges and frustrations, it was ultimately highly instrumental in pushing her to innovate as she developed her body of work.  The technique she developed for weaving glass on the torch is her signature, and the continuing basis for narratives in her work.