Tanya Charlesworth Garvis

Glass Fused on Copper

Tanya has always appreciated fine art. After years in business marketing and a variety of restaurant endeavors, she was just not feeling joy in her work.   One day, she happened upon some art at a gallery, and was smitten by it.  She left her name and number with the owner, hoping to apprentice with the artist.  She knew the likelihood of this was slim. Almost two YEARS LATER, she got the call.

After apprenticing with Dennis Berry and learning the fine process of enameling, she became convinced that she had finally found her calling.  Adding to her conviction was the extremely positive response she got from galleries and artists alike.  She quit everything else and jumped in at full speed.  She is constantly busy and very grateful.

She also learned that glass and copper fused together create extraordinary visual effects. No two designs are ever the same.  Every single piece of copper in all of her work is fired only by her.

She has a studio in Deephaven, Minnesota.  In addition to creating art, she loves traveling, reading, gardening and ‘hanging out’ with her family. She is married to a really cool guy, and has 2 amazing children (seriously).  Her husband and best friend spends countless hours helping her build frames, and gluing art.  Her children also help with copper cutting and sanding.

Tanya was born and raised in the Twin City area. She also spent several of her formative years living in Germany. She attended the University of Minnesota and graduated with honor degrees in Marketing Commuications and Psychology, but who cares?  The art is the thing!