Christine Kende’s work is inspired by the natural world, especially the beach and sea. Through fluid watercolors, layered fused glass, and vibrant gelli prints, she captures the essence of coastal landscapes in both abstract and representational forms, evoking movement, light, and organic beauty. Each piece invites a quiet moment of connection with the natural rhythms that surround us.

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With a background in music, Kende often says she has simply changed her instrument. “I paint with glass because it is my meditation,” she explains. Working with multiple layers of crushed glass, each kiln-fired to achieve depth and texture, her process balances intuition with precision. Light plays a central role—her work is designed to either reflect or transmit it, subtly transforming with its environment.

Kende found her voice in glass after working in watercolor and acrylic, drawn to the evolving interplay of heat, material, and light. She embraces the intersection of art and science in the medium, where repeated firings continue to shape the final result. Raised in Santa Fe by painter parents and later studying glass at the Bullseye Glass Research Center in Portland, her work has been exhibited in Utah and Washington and has received multiple awards, including Best of Show.

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Based in Astoria, Oregon, Christine Kende is a local artist whose work reflects the shifting light and coastal atmosphere of the Pacific Northwest. She now lives and teaches in the Astoria community.