ARTIST STATEMENT
I make glass art out of upcycled pressed glass—bowls, plates, and bottles that most folks would pass over at a thrift store or garage sale. I clean them up, layer on color and shine, and turn them into something worth a second look.
My process is layered and hands-on. Each piece starts with vintage pressed glass, cleaned and prepped to bare its details. From there, I build up shimmering undercoats that catch light from inside the piece, then hand-paint intricate designs using an unexpected medium: nail polish. Most people are amazed when they learn the designs—the florals, the geometric patterns, the fine lines—are done in polish. It’s a material built for detail, and it belongs on glass.
The goal is simple: I want people to really see glass in a way most haven’t. That dusty bowl at grandma’s house, the plate nobody notices on the shelf—I see the potential in all of it. Upcycling isn’t just my method, it’s my point. The beauty was already in there; it just needed someone to bring it out.
Every piece is one of a kind. When a piece leaves my hands, it’s done—there’s no repeating it, and that’s by design. Ten percent of all sales supports Thrive Youth Center in San Antonio, because I believe art should give back to the community it comes from.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Cathy Smith is a mixed-media glass artist based in Seguin, Texas. Working almost exclusively with upcycled pressed glass—pieces rescued from thrift stores, garage sales, and forgotten shelves—she gives new life to glass most people walk right past.
Her process is layered and hands-on: each piece is cleaned, prepped, and built up through shimmering undercoats, layered color, and hand-painted designs in an unexpected medium—nail polish. The result is work that catches people off guard: vintage glass with luminous, modern finishes that make viewers look twice and see ordinary glass in a way they never have before.
Her pieces range from functional bowls and plates to sculptural bottles, each one finished by hand and one of a kind. Recent work includes pieces inspired by hidden gardens, mythology, and the quiet beauty of sea glass—always rooted in the same idea: transformation. Old-fashioned bones, brand-new glow.
In addition to her studio practice, she shows her work at local art league exhibitions and juried shows across Texas. Ten percent of all sales supports Thrive Youth Center in San Antonio, reflecting a belief that art should give back to the community it comes from.
When she’s not at the work table, she’s out hunting for the next forgotten piece of glass—the one sitting at a garage sale, gathering dust, just waiting for somebody to see what it could become.
© Cathy Smith