In 2007, Danielle Wieboldt, aka Dani Girl Glass, started her glass journey when she was 20. In her words: “The glass industry helped raise me.”
Wieboldt’s career began in Grants Pass, Oregon, where she had the opportunity to work in Banjo’s studio. It was a huge source of inspiration, as new artists were constantly passing through, collaborating and pushing each other’s skills to create absolute masterpieces.
“Looking back, I feel lucky to have entered the industry when it was still fairly underground,” Wieboldt said.
What’s she cooking with, you might ask? She prefers her GGT Delta Elite for its deep penetrating flame and her Smith hand torch that has a custom Blast Shield tip on it.
When the Leaf asked Wieboldt who currently inspires her in the glass world, she said, “Honestly, I’m really inspired by the next generation of glass artists right now. They have access to platforms and opportunities that didn’t exist when I started. It helps push the craft forward and motivates me to keep evolving while staying on top of trends and not get stuck doing the same old things. Basically, reminding me to just have fun.”
Wieboldt added, “I’m also constantly inspired by the women, queer artists and other minority artists in our community. Working in a male-dominated industry isn’t always easy, and seeing us carve out space and succeed is hot, and I love seeing it.”
While she dedicates a lot of time to the craft, when she’s not in the studio, you can find this true Pacific Northwest native outside. Some of her favorite pastimes include fishing for salmon, hunting mushrooms, rockhounding and sitting around strumming a guitar while singing a ditty. There are also four extremely fortunate cats that she spoils in between rounds of Fortnite at home. Wieboldt also tries to make time to attend festivals and concerts to dance.
“There’s something so healing about really good music,” she stated.
These days, you can find Wieboldt in eastern Washington, the Tri-Cities area to be exact. With the high temperatures there, she switches her schedule to nights for the summer to beat the heat.
A project she is very dedicated to and working hard to progress is opening a women-run art studio that gives artists access to equipment and space they might not otherwise be able to afford. Her positive energy and determination precede her everywhere she goes.
The Leaf encourages you to get online and check out Wieboldt’s upcoming projects and very diverse portfolio via her website, Instagram and Linktree. If you want to meet the artist and see some of her latest works in person, you can find her at upcoming events, including DFO July 24-26 in Portland, Oregon, and Puffcon Oct. 3-4 in Los Angeles.
