2005 Red Dahlia Collage
Encased flameworked glass 4 inches in diameter Encased flamework collage featuring a large multi-petal red dahlia flower.
2005 80 Flower Collage
A large encased flamework collage design with multiple flowers with complex millefiori centers 4 inches in diameter Flameworking is very meditative; manipulating glass in a flame often creates a Zen-like feeling. Each flower has a unique, complex center stamen cane. The flamework to make this piece took thousands of hours of concentration and deep thought.…
2005 Madam XY
Hot sculpted glass, encased flamework 4 inches After the Sergeant painting, in this modern version, “Madam XY” speaks of genetics.
2004 The Populace
Encased flameworked glass with exterior cutting 3 inches in diameter
2003-06 Reaching for Peace, Love and Acceptance
Engraved, encased flameworked glass This work was made before the Iraqi conflict, at a time when the United States was considering invading Iraq. It was a time of indecision. I created a heart dripping blood and a broken heart from millefiori. I used peace signs from the 1970s because it reminded me of that time.…
1990 The Witness to the Battle
Engraved, encased flameworked glass This triptych commemorates the “shot heard round the world” and the Battle of Lexington and Concord that began the American Revolution. Roland Max Erlacher of Corning, New York executed three powerful engravings. Designed, flameworked and encased by Debbie Tarsitano. Plaque 1: A local farmer and minuteman picking up his musket to defend his…
2000 Mother Theresa
Engraved, encased flameworked glass 4 inches in diameter The humanitarian efforts of Mother Theresa, “Saint of the Gutters,” of Calcutta, India, touched me greatly. Both she and Anne Frank shared a longing for peace, and both have had a great impact on the world through their special examples and life philosophies. White rosary beads and…
2000 Anne Frank
Engraved, encased flameworked glass I stood in front of the Anne Frank house on Prinsengracht Street and read a phrase spray painted on a wood partition covering some construction: “All children have the right to grow up.” I saw the little orange and white gingham diary, one of the most important books ever written, a…
1990 The Outstretched Hand of Liberty
Encased flameworked glass, engraving, marble 36 by 20 inches I designed and created the large-scale sculpture, “The Outstretched Hand of Liberty,” in 1989. The artistic concept was to use flameworked glass, crystal encasement and engraving to depict a universal and timeless story that most American families can identify with – the idea of coming to…
1989 American Farmhouse
Engraved, encased flameworked glass In 1976 I met Steuben’s master engraver, Max Roland Erlacher, of Corning, New York. At our first meeting I asked Max, “If I made a drawing, could you engrave it on the base of one of my paperweights?” He answered, “Yes,” and thus began a long and cherished working relationship creating paperweights…
1986 Red Salamander Over Dahlia
Flameworked encased glass 3 1/4 inches in diameter A Red spotted salamander by Delmo Tarsitano appears on a blue multi petal Dahlia by Debbie Tarsitano My father and I worked together from 1976 until his death in 1990, fourteen years, which seemed all too short. Dad made his own designs reflecting his lifelong interest in…
1976 The Mother
Oil paint on canvas 48 by 48 inches A study in white and sienna oil paint of the artist’s mother and grandmother during the Great Depression.
1975 First Glasswork
Encased torchworked glass
1975 Pyrex Snakes
Flameworked pyrex glass When my father, Delmo, and I first started working glass, it was difficult for us to find materials and equipment. We began by using a small welder’s torch to melt Pyrex glass, which turned out to be very difficult. Our friend, James Kontes, gave us some soft glass, which was easier to…
1977 Debbie Tarsitano in Her Studio
Debbie Tarsitano working on a large torch in her Valley Stream studio. When my father, Delmo, and I first started working glass, it was difficult for us to find materials and equipment. We began by using a small welder’s torch to melt Pyrex glass, which turned out to be very difficult. Our friend, James Kontes,…
1970 Black and White
Ink drawing 12 by 14 inches
1970 Who Started the Fire?
A collage on paper over-painted with varnish
