ABOUT ME

Hi Ladies and Gentlemen! I really wanted to write one of those pompous biography where I talk about myself at the third person, but… well… guess what.. I’m not good at it. So, here is how I see it:

1- My name is Patricia Christine O’Neill.

2- With such a name, you would believe that I am American… or Irish… None of the above. I am French! So, don’t be surprised if my English is not perfect and if I speak with a funny accent.

3- Since 2000, I am the owner of an art studio specialized into glass, and I am also the studio artist. The name of my studio is O’Neill Glass Art. It is located in Phoenix, Arizona where I live since 1998.

4- Although I have some (little) help, I am deeply involved in all the aspects of my business. I like to see myself not like an artist who owns a business, but like an entrepreneur who happens to be an artist. 

5- About my work… it is made of glass that I melt and shape using the heat of a kiln, thus the name kiln-formed glass given to this process. Please, do not call it “fused glass”, because I hate it!

6- Since as far as I can remember, I have always had a strong attraction for the metaphysical world as well as lost and ancient civilizations. Maybe because I have always felt that I was connected with something more than I already was…

7- I practice Tai Chi, collect quartz crystal skulls and study Feng Shui as a hobby. Everything related to energy flow, healing, balance and harmony is a great source of inspiration for me.

8- I would describe my word as a combination of elements of nature, anthropology, archeology, symbolism and spirituality. And that’s about as much as “artist speak” you will hear from me.

Want to know more about me? Check for posts in my “about me” category.

I was born in Paris, where the romantic idea of bohemian artistic lifestyle is bound with the way of life. From a grandfather glassblower, a grandmother lace maker and a father photographer, I have inherited the love of working with my hands. As I grew up, I loved to draw, paint, knit and sew outfits for my teddy bear. 

As a teenager, I wanted to be an artist. But my mother did not see it this way. You must know that my Dad was my hero. I was 7 when he passed away in an accident and my mother raised me by herself. She had a strong influence on me and everything had to be done her way. So, when she decided that the best for me would be to embrace  a career in technology, I had not much of a choice. This is how after getting a Mathematics and IT diploma from Paris University, I started working as a designer for a mainframe computers manufacturer.

Years later, while visiting friends in the South of France, I met a Navy sailor whose ship was anchored in the bay of Nice. We stayed in touch and travelled back and forth between France and US to see each other. Needless to say that my mother was not thrilled…
More than a year later, my boyfriend flew to Paris with the intention of asking me to marry him. Exactly one week before his arrival, my mother died in her sleep. The Universe was setting me free!

In 1998, we got married and I left everything behind to follow him to the United States. At the time, I just took a leap of faith and had no clue that I was going to realize my childhood dream. After living in different places, we settled down in Phoenix, Arizona.

And this is when I stumbled upon a store in my neighborhood who was proposing classes in stained glass. From the hours spent playing with the paperweights made by my grand father, I had kept a fascinating attraction with the colors and the softness of glass.  And I had always admired the effects of the light going through the stained glass windows of Notre Dame and the Sainte Chapelle. Therefore, I thought it would be fun to learn.
What started as a new hobby became very fast a new passion. After exploring several aspects of glass working, I found myself passionate with the kiln-formed glass process. 


A simple comment from a friend visiting our house triggered my memory. It all came back to me. My old dream of becoming an artist that was buried deep down in me since so many years, came back to the surface.
At the same time, I also realized that the true meaning of the saying “America, land of opportunity” is that there is no excuse for not achieving your dreams. Leaving behind a successful career in computer technology was not easy. But moving away from home and from my friends to live in a new country, speak a new language and integrate into a new culture was even more difficult. And doing well with it made me aware of my potential to achieve anything I wanted. It gave me the courage and the confidence to take a new plunge. With the full support of my husband, I decided (for myself this time) that not only I was going to be an artist, but I was going to be a professional artist! 

At the same time I was perfecting my glass techniques and designs, I was also learning about the business aspect of owning and running an art studio. And in 2000, with the determination of a true Taurus who is not afraid to work hard to reach their goals, I officially opened O’Neill Glass Art. 


After doing all the possible mistakes and learning from each one of them, I know today that awards and recognitions are not the motivation that drives me. It is the need to strive to be the best I can be, to find my voice and to let it heard by all who will listen through their eyes.