Pine Moon Fine Art will be featuring a new collection entitled “Celebrating Color — Inspired by Nature” by local glass artist Jennifer Baker. The show will debut Aug. 1, and will be featured during First Friday Art Walk on Aug. 5.

Baker has crafted several glass art pieces that will be featured in the exhibition, which she says was inspired by the natural world and love of the environment here in Steamboat.

“Looking back, I have been a creative most of my life … working in whatever medium I had on hand. I started working with glass many years ago when I lived in Ohio,” Baker said. “It wasn’t until I moved west and was fully immersed in its beauty that I was able to translate my vision into my work.”

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Baker began working on the pieces for “Celebrating Color” over the last year. As the name suggests, color and hues were a driving inspiration for the collection.

“Color, or a combination of colors, can evoke a mood or an emotion like nothing else can. When I experiment with tints and tones, it’s like I’m a kid opening a 64-color crayon box, with a feeling of excitement and eagerness that can’t be triggered in any other way,” according to Baker’s description of her collection. “Color is the bridge by which I try to create the same emotions through my own work. This exhibition is the culmination of months of free experimentation and color play.”

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“The body of work features a combination of vibrancy and brightness that exaggerates and reveals some of the ways hues change our perception, and that I hope will bring a new level of appreciation for the viewers,” she added.

For some pieces in the exhibition, Baker used a new process to fuse different elements.

“One new process I implemented in a couple of these pieces is creating an element by essentially smashing multiple layers of glass together at a temperature at over 1500 degrees,” she said. “These are demonstrated in my ‘Vibrant Bouquet’ piece. Each flower was created separately then integrated into the larger piece.”

This is meant to enhance the impact of the different vibrant colors in each piece of artwork.

Baker explained that she also ventured into different subjects for her pieces, which usually feature landscapes or plants.

“I also decided to create a few pieces with animals, portraying them in a more colorful light,” she explained. “I haven’t really done much work with animals, but I’m certainly enjoying it.”

Baker explained that she doesn’t have one confining art style, but has enjoyed working on these pieces throughout the past few months.

“Anyone who knows me knows I love being outside, and I am definitely inspired by nature — hence the title of my show,” she said. “I’m completely embracing it.”

She added that the focus on color was another important aspect of her work that she hopes comes through to those who browse the gallery.

“People have told me my pieces evoke joy and I feel like my use of color conveys that,” Baker said. “I wanted to continue using the power of color to create that feeling or at least a positive emotion.”