Hand-Painted Blue and Green Float Glass Nativity Scene 'Blessed Family' Item ID: 2671769620

My name is Melina Grande, and I was born in San Salvador in 1990. My friends would describe me as passionate, creative, and dedicated. I grew up in the San Jacinto neighborhood with my mother, father, and maternal grandmother. My father and his family worked with wood, and later transitioned into glasswork. My interest in art began while I was studying at university, and I started working in my father's glass workshop. I learned the basics of handling glass from him, but my design skills were developed during my university studies. My first piece was a stained glass design for the door of a medicine cabinet, a special request from a close client. Since 2014, I have fully dedicated myself to glass art, and together with my family, we established a small workshop. The support of my family has been crucial in establishing me as a craftswoman. Each member contributes their own skills, allowing us to complement each other in our work. Every piece of glass art my family and I make is crafted with our best effort, always trying to offer the best of ourselves. The most rewarding part of my art is offering unique, high-quality products, though I had to overcome my initial fear of working with such fragile material. My inspiration comes from leaving a personal mark on each product I create, and I especially enjoy the process of creating new design ideas. Our glass art reflects an aesthetic that draws on traditional elements and customs of our country, such as Christmas festivities. We use tools that we've acquired to handle the glass properly, and we've even created our own bottle cutters. Glass is our primary material, and we often face the challenge of limited color options available. Our art also contributes to environmental preservation by reusing glass from other projects, thus reducing waste. I believe people around the world are drawn to the artistic transformation of glass and the various techniques used to create it. My dream is for our workshop to be recognized nationally for its quality and beautiful designs. Balancing the demands of running a workshop at a young age, while learning without technical or financial support, has been a challenge. However, I have also been proud to receive third place in the Entrepreneurial Student competition at the School of Economics and Business of El Salvador (ESEN).