From a studio on unceded land of the Wabanaki on what is currently known as Vinalhaven Island in Maine, I design and create colorful handmade fused glass jewelry that delights customers around the world.

Hi! I’m Alison and I live and work on Vinalhaven Island in Penobscot’s Bay.

Since the company’s launch in 2000, I have personally crafted each piece, working with sheets of colored glass, a glass cutter and a 1500 degree kiln. What emerge from the fire are rare pieces of captured light in the brilliant spectrum of colors illuminating my studio and my customers. To create pieces simultaneously elemental and personal, I draw inspiration from the landscape—sea and stone, forest and sky—of my island home, from the family of people who love my jewelry, and from the music and stories always playing as I work.

 My journey in glass started with a lost earring. Inspired to make a match for the remaining favorite earring, I learned to fuse glass at a moment when I was seeking a new way to live, and work I wouldn’t want to retire from. When people started asking to buy the jewelry right off my body, I listened. Through the convergence of accident and opportunity, art and craft, element and imagination, I continue to grow, bringing color and light to beloved customers old and new.

The newest creations at WindHorse Arts include a line of vivid tapas plates and luminous cast-glass cairn stones. Join my email list to get a sneak peak at my latest work!

Fun Facts

•  I have fired my kilns over 3,500 times

•  If you have some of WindHorse Arts’ first earrings, I can tell you what day I made them.

•  At last count, in thirty-seven families four generations all wear WindHorse jewelry.

•  WindHorse jewelry has been a catalyst for Vinalhaven connections throughout the world. Most recently, WindHorse customers have recognized each other by their jewelry in an airport in Australia and in a Hannaford’s grocery store in Portland, Maine.