Our Story
Say it With Glass really began one afternoon when Sam’s husband whacked a mosquito in their kitchen leaving in its wake, a giant broken circle. In true adult ADHDer fashion, Sam started learning what it would take to not only fix the window herself, but make it better than before. Little did she know, this “window of opportunity” was gearing up not only to become something truly beautiful, but the potential for a whole a glassy movement!
As Sam began taking classes, and doing her own research, she realized that there was a whole big beautiful art-glass world out there…but the connection she was seeking and approach to art-making left her wanting. So she set out to share her love of the art form (and passion for teaching) with the community in her own way.
Say it With Glass began as a mobile beginner class called the “Sip and Solder”, which thanks to the hospitality of other locally owned small businesses, began popping up in locations all over the Triangle. From coffee shops, to breweries, and even gyms…she brought the glassy goods to the people. And well…long story short, the people loved it! Thus began the journey to make glasswork more accessible to more folks, and this is where the hobby quickly turned into a successful business venture, quickly shaking up the local arts scene, and within its first 6 months, leaving behind it over 200 happily connected crafters, and a nomination by the Chamber for a Greater Chapel Hill-Carrboro Micro-enterprise of the Year.
Whoever you are, we are excited that you’ve found us! We are growing and changing every day (aren’t we all) and we are excited to take you all on this adventure. It is our hope to be a hub for creatives of all types to learn, feel welcome, and hopefully make an impact with our art, and of course…create some beautiful art along the way.
Sam Nguyen, Owner and Glass Artist
Sam is an educator, life-long artist and tinkerer and she is now focused on connecting with her community through art. She loves sharing a vision with clients and bringing a part of their story to each piece. Stories are powerful, and all of her work is grounded in bringing stories to life through glass.
She is a member of the American Glass Guild, and recognized local artist in the Triangle area. When she isn’t slinging glass at the studio, she is teaching! In fact, she is still a local public educator! (yes she does sleep). As an educator, she knows the power and joy that comes with new learning and is excited to share her expertise and love for glasswork with anyone who will listen. Whether it is helping local institutions learn more about the history of their class (like some kind of weird art detective), or taking her skills to the next level (who doesn’t want to play with fire?), she is always willing to hike up that learning curve.
In addition to her studio life, she is also the mom of two amazingly creative boys, and partner in crime (she’s the trouble maker) to the most supportive of husbands, and nurturer of various critters. (bees, and chickens, and OMG is that a lizard in the house!?)
About Her Art
I struggled to make art initially. At least, not art that I was proud of. Like many artists, I’ve explored a variety of different mediums, and well…glass work was transformative for me. As a “baby artist” I struggled to fill notebooks…I agonized over getting it “just right” and quite honestly, struggled with managing the millions of ideas I had and how to translate them. In later adulthood, I was diagnosed with ADHD, and realized that the artistic battle I had been battling with (still do) was because I was working against the grain my brain wanted to go. I have an incredible brain…but I had actual visual-spatial learning differences that required physical manipulation and extra time to process. I needed time to tinker, wonder, and tinker some more. I needed to PLAY with my art. The more I did it, the better I felt. It felt good to share the real struggle with other people, and it felt good to “play” together as we figured it out. Eventually, something beautiful always came out of it.
Which brings me to why glass is so great! As you can imagine, it can be a fickle beast at times. Breakage is just going to happen every once in a while. But in working with glass, I had to recognize the beauty in making mistakes and not leaving them behind, but finding ways to grow something spectacular from them. Oddly enough, I get a little excited when something doesn’t work quite right these days. It’s an invitation to grow, think, and problem solve and I have never been disappointed with the outcome at the end of the journey.
Paige Carpenter, Studio and Events Manager
Mac “Carp” Carpenter, Glass Artist/Instructor
Paige and Mac (“Carp”) Carpenter are a married duo created unique stained glass pieces here in the Triangle. The two met while attending college at SCAD, and have spent a lifetime working in different mediums - textiles, furniture, and graphic design, just to name a few! They joined the Say it With Glass team early as it transitioned to the new space and are excited about growing the glassy community here in the Triangle.
Mac and Paige work at Say it With Glass part-time helping with classes, events, and open studio hours, and are hoping to teach some classes of their own in the future! You can check out their website or instagram below for more images of their work and to reach out directly.
About Their Art
Our work features imagery and references to the LGBT+ community, which we are a part of and work to support with our art. We also like to incorporate tongue-in-cheek humor and a bit of stupid fun in most of our pieces. Each pattern is designed and created by both of us together, and we love that! We love doing custom work - if you dream it up, they can design it and work with you to make it happen.