They look like pieces of paper, stacked on top of each other, or perhaps a hollowed-out rock.

The medium that Cheryl Wilson Smith works with, is actually glass. It comes in a powdered form, and is kiln-fired to become unique shapes and structures.

"It's sharp in the fine layers. It looks like torn paper, that's what people have told me. But, it's rock solid," Wilson Smith said in her large studio, in the basement of an old dance hall in Red Lake, Ont.

The glass creations, which can be the size of a small plate, and have the height of a coffee cup, are layers upon layers of powdered glass, which is kiln-fired, to solidify. The powdered glass is held in place by another powder that does not bond to glass.

Cheryl Wilson Smith, Red Lake glass artist 1:27

"I actually took a screen printing course in Portland, Oregon quite a while ago. And the guy was printing images through those screens. And right then I realised I could build this, rather just printing an image, I could build it up," she said.

"I've always wanted to blow glass. But, because of where I live, and I'd need help blowing glass, it just never worked. So right away, I realised I could build my vessels with this technique."

One-of-a-kind

Wilson Smith has worked with glass for the past 15 years. She originally made a number of smaller items, like suncatchers, but knew her artistic skill could be put to a different use.

She said her pieces are all one-of-a-kind, and she is aware of only one other person, in Denmark, who uses the same technique as her.

Transitioning into the artist realm from the craft-fair mentality is a shift for Wilson Smith. She said, before, a piece might be worth $40. Now, she's charging thousands of dollars for her work. The materials are also impossible to acquire in Canada, meaning her raw materials are imported, and firing all her glass pieces costs a lot in hydro.

Some of Cheryl Wilson Smith's glass creations. (Jeff Walters/CBC)

"My husband told me I had to stop, and he's never told me that before," said Wilson Smith, after trying to create a massive glass sculpture, that would have stood up to six feet in height. She said when firing that particular piece for weeks on end, the utility bill jumped by $600 per month.

Work has travelled the world

Wilson Smith's work is now seen around the world, highlighted at Gallery Ten in Edinburgh, Scotland, as well as galleries in Montreal and southern Ontario. She also finished up exhibitions in Atlanta, Saltspring Island, and is preparing for shows in Key West and Chicago.

Wilson Smith said seeing her work go international, shows that artists in small communities can make a worldly impact.

"Yeah, I think it's pretty cool," she said. "I think it just means any of us in the north can do anything we want, we just have to be persistent and find a way to do it. I think there are some advantages to living in the north, and being isolated."

The work of Cheryl Wilson Smith 1:24

Wilson Smith said she draws inspiration from the natural surroundings in her Red Lake studio.

Her work will be on display for the winter of 2018 at the Thunder Bay Art Gallery. That installation will be interactive, and about 3,000 square feet in size.