Pate de Verity



Pate de Verity

About The Artist

Anna Boothe • Zieglerville, PA
Glass • WHOLESALE AVAILABLE • CUSTOM COMMISSIONS

With degrees from RISD and Tyler School of Art, Philadelphia artist Anna Boothe has worked with glass since 1984. Her pate de verre sculpture has been exhibited widely, domestically and internationally. As a first time participant in the Smithsonian, Phila. Museum of Art and American Craft Council’s Baltimore craft shows, she received “Best of” awards. Boothe served as President of the Glass Art Society and is a former Director of Glass at Philadelphia’s National Liberty Museum.



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Q&A with the Artist

Tell us how your work is made.

My glass assemblages are created in a kiln by fusing sugary particles of lead crystal. The individual elements are first hand-carved in wax or cast directly from botanicals using a variety of molds. Once transformed into glass, they are ground and polished, then combined to create multicolored jewel-like objects.


What makes you passionate about the medium you work with?

Glass is a luscious medium. The process I use, pate de verre casting, produces objects that hold light and glow from within. The term was coined in late 19th C. France, but has its roots in antiquity. I have loved the technique and been researching its history and nuance since 1984. No matter how many years one works with the material, it demands absolute focus; and thus by default, confers a humility like no other material I've ever used.

What is something unique about you or your practice?

Even though my process requires much planning, I allow for the unexpected. Unless one makes repetitive work, there are always unforeseen outcomes that inspire one to respond in new ways. I make small elements that alone may seem familiar, but when combined viscerally, create fresh metaphors that often surprise me.