Finding Light in Glass and Story: The Creative Journey of Cynthia Snow
Cynthia Snow doesn’t necessarily consider herself an artist. Instead, she describes herself as a human on a creative pursuit, someone who sees art in the mundane, not just in galleries or museums. For Cynthia, art can be a flavor, a style of dress, a spoken word, or even a warm embrace. Her philosophy is rooted in the belief that creativity is a way of being, not just a thing you make. It’s this deeply human approach that fuels her evolving journey in glass art, fused mosaics, and community storytelling.
Cynthia’s story begins in a household where imagination was as essential as air. Her parents were equally creative: her mother, an interior designer who brought home discontinued wallpaper books for projects, and her father, a skilled woodworker. “As a child, I spent a ton of time with my two grandmothers who were both incredibly creative,” she says. Her paternal grandmother, a beloved pastry chef in Ausable Forks, inspired her early dive into culinary arts, while her maternal grandmother, Claire, was a fiber artist. “She taught women in our community to tole paint and to hook rugs you’d never walk on,” Cynthia remembers fondly. These early lessons in craftsmanship and care continue to inform her approach to glass art, where patience and detail are everything.
Today, Cynthia’s glass work reflects this rich blend of inspirations. “I look at a piece of glass and ask myself what I see in the pattern.” Snow shares. Sometimes she sketches directly on glass, playing with layers of transparent and opaque textures. Her style spans from whimsical folk scenes to realistic landscapes and abstract patterns shaped by heat. Glass art, she says, isn’t something one stumbles into. It requires a dedicated studio space, costly infrastructure, and an abundance of patience. Kiln runs can last anywhere from 13 hours to an entire week, allowing plenty of time for reflection, sketching, and online collaboration with a nationwide community of fellow “fusers.”
One of Cynthia’s breakthrough moments came during the Eclipse Community Art exhibition produced by the Strand Center for the Arts. She created two glass pieces that explored the interplay of light and darkness. One featured a cratered moon obscuring a glowing golden eclipse, while the second was inspired by Leonard Cohen’s famous lyrics: “There is a crack in everything. That’s how the light gets in.” The emotional response from viewers, and the red “sold” stickers on her pieces validated that her art was resonating beyond her circle of family and friends. It was a powerful moment of artistic affirmation.
A longtime supporter of the Strand Center for the Arts in Plattsburgh, Cynthia fondly recalls her first visit in the early 1960s to see Dumbo. Over the decades, the Strand has transformed into a creative hub where she’s watched live music, indie films, and immersive performances. Now a regular member and advocate, Cynthia urges others to explore the cultural richness the Strand offers. “People say there’s nothing to do here,” she often says, “but once they hear about the events and exhibits, they’re amazed.”
Another defining moment in her creative evolution came while catering an event for This American Life host Ira Glass. At the time, Cynthia was running the Blue Collar Bistro and hadn’t given much thought to storytelling as an art form. But hearing Ira speak ignited something in her. It gave her the courage to step onto the stage for local events like The Moth And Howl Story Slam, where she continues to share stories infused with the same honesty and emotion found in her glasswork. For Cynthia Snow, creativity isn’t confined to one medium—it’s a way of life.
