About the Artist Anita Merina

Anita Merina creates fine art glass and jewelry from her studio in Bellingham, Washington. She traces her love of art and craft to her indigenous roots in Batanes, the northernmost islands of the Philippines, known for its artists, weavers, and sculptors. In glass she has found a medium full of challenges and discovery, each piece carefully crafted with an eye toward color, design and texture and fired, often multiple times at temperatures of up to 1500 degrees.

I am captivated by glass. In the high heat of the kiln colors shift and flow, glass becomes molten then solid again, bubbles burst or remain trapped beneath the surface. Where do I find inspiration? I find it in the elements of fire, water, earth, air, and culture. I find it in nature, in imagery, and my own cultural heritage. Glass is my landscape and my language in this endless journey.

Glass has become my language and more and more a translation and exploration of my cultural heritage as an Ivatan.  And as an artist who only recently moved to the Pacific Northwest, I find myself exploring this region and conveying my wonder and delight through the glass medium

   You can see more of Anita Merina’s artwork at the Whatcom Art Market in Fairhaven, Washington, on her website Merinaglassworks.com and on Instagram @meringlasswork