Tom and Joellen Chrones met through their artistic endeavors, setting up a lifelong mutual bond.
“We met each other at the first photo club that was in town in Lompoc,” Joellen Chrones said. “That was 40 years ago.”
While Joellen moved on to glass and knitwork as an artist, Tom, a retired fire captain for the city of Lompoc, stayed fixated on photography. For the past several decades, the pair have been well established in Lompoc’s art community. They’ve served on the board of the Lompoc Valley Art Association in a variety of roles and in other area arts groups.
In December, the couple is part of a new show at the Cypress Gallery. His and Hers, which runs through Dec. 30, features a collection of Tom’s photographs and Joellen’s work in fused glass, as well as some examples of the knitwear she creates.
Woodturning used to be the art medium of choice for Tom until he developed an allergy. These days, one can usually find the retired firefighter out snapping photos in and around Lompoc, where the pair make their home.
“I grew up with my mom and dad who both did a lot of picture taking,” Tom said. “Especially my dad, who did a lot of landscapes. When I became [fire captain], I started taking photographs for investigations for the department.”
The Lompoc fire department had a darkroom for investigators to develop their own photographs, and Tom took to the medium quickly. After he retired, he stuck with photography, exploring it as an art form.
“I do mostly landscapes,” he said. “I try to capture a moment that I respond to, as I see things, whether it’s lighting or sunset or the way lighting hits a certain tree or flower.”
In 2019, Tom will take on the role of president of the Lompoc Valley Art Association (in 2018, he served as Cypress Gallery director). In 2018, the association tried a number of new ventures and projects, many aimed at engaging or improving community participation.
Outreach programs included selling cutouts of wooden fish for $5 and Art Hunt, a free scavenger hunt in Lompoc. The gallery also underwent some physical upgrades, including a new floor and lighting system.
“We made a lot of improvements to the gallery,” Tom said. “We also had a nice painting done on the wall.”
Joellen’s work at the His and Her show includes many examples of her deft hand at fused glass, a process that involves bonding different pieces of glass together using heat to create shapes and colors.
“The sheets I cut are usually a base color,” Joellen said. “Then I do a clear coat on top, and then I cut out designs in other colored glass and stack them all together.”
Fusing glass to create shapes such as plates and bowls is a technique that can seem intimidating upon initial approach. The stacked glass is first fused in a kiln for 24 hours, so it becomes flat and the design melts into the glass. Then, for the second 24 hours, the glass goes into a mold to give it its final shape.
Joellen said she’s drawn to the artform because she likes the way it allows her to create unique shapes. She originally started in lampworking, which is the art of making glass beads over a torch, and even used to teach classes in the craft in Santa Maria.
“I kind of evolved into fusing because I had the kilns and everything I needed,” she said. “I had taken classes for glassblowing, but the equipment for that is so huge and it’s so time consuming that I don’t think I’d go that far. But I love glass.”
She said she loves the way glass shines, even where there is little or no light. Some people try glasswork, either through a class or by following online tutorials, she said, but don’t often keep up with it. The medium may seem unwieldy to some, but Joellen said she sees glass as full of possibilities.
As one of the only fused glass artists working in and around Lompoc, Joellen’s work is a bit of a novelty in galleries and shows. She said she is often drawn to colorful or whimsical subjects, which also makes her work stand out.
“I really like birds, cats, and dogs,” she said. “People will walk up and say, ‘Your stuff makes me smile.’ I don’t know if it’s the subjects or the bold colors I use or the funky way I draw them.”
It’s in their mutual love and anticipation for the public’s reaction that Tom and Joellen also share a bond. After 40 years of working together as artists, Tom said they still get excited about sharing their work with others.
“I really enjoy having other people appreciate what I was able to see and capture,” said Tom. “It’s one of the best things about what we do.”
Arts and Lifestyle Writer Rebecca Rose is pure fusion. Contact her at rrose@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Dec 13-20, 2018.