Well, the silver lining in this recession is that having more free time on your hands can sometimes lead to time for creative artistic pursuits. I started doing stained glass (or art glass as the preferred terminology since there is nothing "stained" about it) at MIT of all places, not as a regular credit class as part of my architectural curriculum (the only art class offered at the time in the entire school was life drawing), but through their Student Art Association.
There I learned the basics of the craft and made a nice little Christmas present for my Mom. Over the years, I experimented on and off, not quite sure it was the artistic medium for me as it takes a lot of patience (which I am sometimes short of) and skill, as well as a good artistic sense for colors, textures and composition. As I tend to cut myself regularly on sharp edges, I often wondered if the flow of blood was an indication I should stop and find a different pursuit. But then when I go to a glass shop I can hardly control myself. Think of the young child in their first candy store. The colors, textures, pure art within each simple piece of glass excite me so. At least for now, with a little more time on my hands, I will follow that excitement and see where it leads! (And besides, in one of those same glass shops, Dan a very experienced glass artist and teacher, has a box of band-aids right at the front as he admits to cutting himself multiple times in one day!)
This piece was inspired by my winter magnolia, which is the first thing to bloom in my garden every spring. The Chinese poem talks of the hope this blossom brings, descended to the earth (from heaven) quietly with a wave of cold. (Thank you again, Lena, for the poem.)
I was rereading Genesis this week - the ultimate work of creation. If we are really made in God's image, then each of us has that creative spark, wonderfully unique in each of us, that so wants to explore and create. Go do it! You never know what you might discover about yourself!
For more images of my glass projects, including commissions, click here.
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