JoAnn Wellner

“Why don’t you learn to do stained glass and make it yourself?”  Accepting that casual challenge from a friend would lead JoAnn Wellner, a local Hillsboro artist and instructor, on a fifty-year journey into the world of glass art.   A dental hygienist by profession and mother of two sons, JoAnn along with her husband, worked and cared for their sons. She also managed to create and sell numerous glass panels and suncatchers.  The emergence of glass fusing caught JoAnn’s interest.  In the 1990’s she took a beginning fusing class at Cline Glass in Portland and has not looked back.

Wanting to learn more and to understand the many technical aspects of glass, JoAnn has traveled both nationally and internationally studying with numerous renowned artists to enhance her glass knowledge, skills, and life experiences.  Along the way she built a well-equipped glass studio which became a teaching studio. Several of her students have continued to attend class sessions for fifteen years.  Not only has glass served as a creative outlet, but it has provided a comfortable social network for JoAnn and her students.

JoAnn’s art and artistic journey have been published in local newspapers and has received awards from Pacific Northwest Glass Guild (formerly Oregon Glass Guild).  She has artwork in the City of Hillsboro Public Art Collection and has twice had her work gifted from the City of Hillsboro to their sister city in Japan.  JoAnn enthusiastically continues exploring the world of glass art.