My work is inspired by two ancient art forms: stained glass and mosaics. I can not help imagining what it would be like centuries ago for a visitor to walk into a stone church lit with light pouring in through stained glass windows and shimmering off walls adorned with mosaics. Churches have long used glass to create a picture book to tell their story to visitors. I can spend hours studying these mosaics and windows delighted not only by the large holy figures but the landscapes, the fish depicted swimming in a river, a group of birds on a birdbath or even a pile of vegetables and fruit in the background.

Now, I am constantly looking at scenes or items and planning how I would transfer that image into glass. Glass proves a wonderful variety of color, texture, shape and sheen to incorporate in my work . But the glass is not a silent partner in this creative process like paints or pastels. Often a piece of glass will suggest a sunset sky, wispy clouds traveling across the horizon, or leaves in a lily pond. I find searching for a certain piece of glass for a project to be difficult process, because I am constantly distracted and tempted by other pieces suggesting something completely different then the project I am currently working on. I enjoy designing my work to incorporate the wonderful variances of both the hues and texture that glass affords. The glass palette appeals to me with the bright and vibrant colors but I unlike paints and pastels I can not always mix colors to create that certain shade. These limitation in my medium force me to experiment with other options like metals and mica powders to create different effects. Also adding accent pieces like murrini adds a different element to the my work. Combining both opalescence and transparent glass in my work to adds depth and allows me create new hues with the overlay of color. Creating unique fused glass tessera for my mosaics combines both art forms and allows me to create distinct style. My two art forms also influence each other. My fused glass work resembles mosaics by incorporating small pieces to add detail to my work.

The inspiration for the subject matter for my work stems from both nature and architecture. Looking back to even the work, I created as a child was focused on these two subjects. My artwork utilizes the colors and lines found in nature. I create colorful impressions of intimate flower gardens, verdant groves of trees, and broad landscapes. I have much better luck creating my gardens in glass where it is only restricted by my imagination. My architectural styled work recall and reflect on my fond memories of extensive overseas travel.

Retirement from the corporate world has given me the opportunity to focus on my artistic interests that have been an avocation since I was a child.   My mother filled our home with art. She was an accomplished artist who worked in multiple mediums and enjoyed sharing her love of oil painting, pastels, watercolors, ceramics, and fibers. At the University of Arizona I majored in art history and minored in cultural anthropology. The anthropology broaden both my vision and appreciation of the diversity of art and crafts throughout the world and wetted my appetite to travel and see these places and works in person. My trips destinations always focused on visiting museums, and craft studios. My career was unrelated to art, but I continued to spend my free time taking classes in different mediums on weekends and evenings to fulfill my creative interests. My first exposure to glass was a class to create a stained glass panel. I was hooked and found I loved working with glass. Classes in lamp-working glass beads and fusing followed with Judith Conway at the Art Students League in Alexandria and Vitrum Studio in Maryland.  Retirement gave me the time to volunteer at both the newly opening Workhouse Art Center at Lorton and the Smithsonian's Renwick Gallery.  Attending the opening gala for the Workhouse Arts Center, I signed up for all the introductory classes in the glass building and discovered I also loved a new medium, mosaics.  Impressed with the work by Gene Sterud, I immediately signed up for his class. I continued to develop my skills in fused glass studying with both David Barnes and Jude Schlotzhauer at the Workhouse. I have also continued to develop my fused glass skills taking additional classes at Vitrum Studio and mosaics with Yulia Hanansen at Maverick Mosaics. The time at Workhouse Glasshouse had become a major part of my week. I was spending so much time at the Workhouse Arts Center taking classes and volunteering with three other mosaic students, that we asked if we could share a studio in the Glasshouse.  Since October 2009, we have shared a studio as emerging artists in the Mosaic Residency group.  The one and half years, I have had the exceptional opportunity to develop both my fused glass and mosaics with incredible support, encouragement, patience and inspiration from the glass artists in the Glasshouse.