STUDIO•QWARTZ is the creative vision of Tessa Van Thienen (b. 1996).
From a young age, Tessa was captivated by drawing and painting, spending much of her childhood honing her skills at a local art academy for 12 years. After a hiatus during her higher education, she reignited her passion for art in 2020. The lockdown sparked her curiosity, with frequent puzzling inspiring a new artistic pursuit: glass mosaic inspired works. Initially experimenting with materials from a local hobby store, Tessa soon began cutting her own glass pieces using specialized kiln glass in an array of sizes, colors, and textures.
Her process, known as glass fusing—the oldest technique in glass art—involves layering and melting different types of glass in a kiln to create a vibrant palette of “glass pixels.” These unique composite pieces are then meticulously adhered to silk-matte MDF panels (HPL/melamine) or Dibond. Unlike plexiglass, which can be tinted for backgrounds, Tessa opts against it for STUDIO•QWARTZ, embracing the challenge of crafting subtle shade transitions—especially in skin tones—against a stark white backdrop. With a limited glass color palette and variations between production batches, each portrait demands careful fine-tuning to match the original image.
Tessa’s contemporary style shines through her bold, often abrupt framing and a refined, sometimes minimalist, interpretation in glass, lending her portraits a modern edge.
Her father, Dirk Van Thienen (b. 1966), shares a lifelong passion for drawing, beginning with courses at age six and later studying at the Provincial Higher Institute of Art in Hasselt. At STUDIO•QWARTZ, Dirk plays a vital role, expertly cutting and breaking glass sheets, preparing the works, framing them, and ensuring they’re ready for shipping and delivery. Since mid-2025, Dirk has been captivated by the glass fusing virus and started creating geometrical glass bowls and vessels. These bowls can be customized based on the glass portraits.
