Isabel Mathieson: fused glass

About the Artist

FUSED GLASS

KILN FORMED GLASS

Isabel Mathieson

“Chacha”

Isabel Mathieson—Chacha—is a third generation Arizonan, born in the town’s hospital that is now known as the Jerome Grand Hotel.

Jerome plays an important part in Chacha’s family history. Chacha’s grandfather, Genaro Mayagoitia, was originally from Encarnacíon, Jalisco, Mexico; her grandmother, Isabel Delgado, a school teacher, was also from Jalisco but grew up in El Paso, Texas. Chacha’s grandparents were married in El Paso and moved to Jerome when Arizona was only a territory. They settled on Main Street in 1910 where they lived with their children, one of which was Chacha’s mother. Chacha’s parents met in Jerome, married in 1940, and stayed in the area where Chacha attended Jerome Elementary School until the Jerome and Clarkdale school districts were consolidated.

In the late 1940s, the Jerome mine started transferring miners to the Phelps Dodge Bisbee mine, and many miners moved to California to acquire employment with places like Lockheed, General Motors, food industries, and other mining companies. Chacha remembers miners leaving Jerome in caravans of vehicles loaded down with families and furniture.

After World War II, plexi-glass became plentiful and Chacha’s father, Frank Gallego began experimenting with it. He started out making lamps with shades and matching picture frames, and carved roses and cactus into the plexi-glass. As orders for his creations started coming in, Frank resigned from Phelps Dodge in the late 1940s and created his art studio, Gallego Carvings, specializing in jewelry, paper weights, and pen sets.

In 1955, Frank decided to close Gallego Carvings and return to mining. He moved his family to San Manuel in Pinal County northeast of Tucson. San Manuel was a new mining town built by Magma Copper for miners and their families, so many Jerome miners had already established employment there. Chacha’s father continued his art education and mastered oil painting and silversmithing, and even tried a little goldsmithing. He also taught internal carvings at the local junior college.

Chacha recalls her dad was quite the artist. “I remember watching him as he carved roses and cactus for pendants and earrings.” She says. “My brother, sisters, and I helped by removing contact paper off both sides of the little pieces of plexi-glass. We would sit on the front porch ‘peeling plastic’ as we called it. As friends walked by, we would tell them how much fun it was and talk them into helping—they would join us on the porch and peel plastic with us. It was our own version of Huckleberry Finn. As we were able to handle it, my dad taught us to use the grinder, buffer, and drills, and attach findings on the earrings and pendants. My dad and mother were always teaching and encouraging us to develop our own artistic talents."

By the time Chacha was in high school, she acquired her father’s skill for plexi-glass carving. She would carve her friends’ names in key chains and give them as birthday and Christmas gifts.

Chacha continued to live in the surrounding area of San Manuel. While carving out a career in city and county government, she managed to raise a family. During her 41-year career, Chacha took evening classes, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration and Office Management. While experimenting with a variety of media, she excelled in cake decorating. She especially enjoyed creating multiple tier wedding cakes and children’s birthday cakes. Three years prior to retiring, she decided to learn about stained glass, “a lifelong desire.” One instructor introduced her to fused glass, also referred to as kiln-formed glass, and she “fell in love with it.”

Upon retirement, with her children grown, it was time to return to her roots in the Verde Valley. It was time, too, to re-embrace art—the passion that had graced her life since childhood.

Chacha converted part of her garage into a glass art studio and purchased a kiln. She furthered her education in the art by taking classes in Portland, Oregon; Chandler, Arizona; and Las Vegas, Nevada. She is committed to continuing her education so that she can better express herself in the beauty of glass.

Chacha states, “I love Jerome and the Verde Valley— it brings back so many happy memories of my family and childhood days. With the love of glass art, my wish is that my creations will bring as much joy to all those who use them as they do for me in creating them.”

Email the artist

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