Christmas Holly

When I discovered stained glass work a dozen years ago, I discovered myself as an artist, too. I enjoy every step in the process of making stained glass: from imagining how something—a landscape, a building, a bowl of fruit…anything, really—would look in stained glass, to creating a pattern or modifying one selected by a client to suit the shared vision we have for the work, to choosing the varieties of glass to work with (color, pattern, and texture are key here), to cutting and foiling and soldering and polishing the pieces that bring something new and beautiful into being. That my work brings joy to others multiplies my own pleasure in the process. I also relish the chance to work with potential clients to bring their own particular ideas and images to life in stained glass. My stained glass workshop is in my home. My work includes both large and small panels and smaller pieces (ornaments, decorations, etc.). Many panels are hanging in St. Peter and Mankato homes; others have found new homes with friends and family as far away as London, Berlin, and San Francisco. Gustavus Adolphus College commissioned me to do a set of four pieces ("Four Seasons") for the main meeting room in the Interpretive Center; these are on permanent display there. Stone’s Throw Gallery in Saint Peter (Patty Conlin, owner) displays and sells some of my work, as does Sweet Alice Floral, also in Saint Peter. For many years, I have been a regular participant in the (juried) GSR Fine Art Festival in Mankato. In 2017 I received an artist's grant from the Prairie Lakes Regional Arts Council. One of my pieces became part of the Artscape exhibit, an annual juried art show at The Grand Center for Arts & Culture in New Ulm, MN. I have also participated in the annual Minnesota Maker Fair and the St. Peter Vendor & Craft Show.