My current artistic practice involved mostly my mosaic stained glass and the huge pile of quilts and textile pieces I've created, and still do occasionally. The thing that connects both these activities is a desire to create something beautiful out of materials that would be discarded, or thrown away. Most of the fabrics I use are donated and scraps from other projects that have found their way into my space. Much of the stained glass is also leftovers and donations from people who are cleaning out a loved one's garage or basement, and has no use for these things.

The other thing that attracts me is that both stained glass and fabric art require you to break or cut apart perfectly good stuff and reassemble it into a new configuration. Each finished piece therefore is a unique work that involves many broken pieces to inhabit a new space together, like each cluster of humans is made up of many broken lives that somehow come together by the Master to become a beloved community. We are useful/beautiful/valuable precisely because we are broken and in community.

This commissioned textile piece was to commemorate the major gift to a campaign at Messiah Lifeways for their newest building's largest community activity room. It honors the life and legacy of BIC Bishop Henry Hostetter and his family, the Robert and Winnie Worman family.

This group of Grantham Church artists helped to grout our first stained glass project.

For my longer story of becoming an artist, click here.