2020 was a busy year of many commissions. I have been working on a church project for well over a year. Finally, after numerous changes to the final number of windows and design direction, we have settled on (2) 7.5 x 3.25' trees depicting Michigan's awesome white pines silhouetted against a Michigan sunset. Below is an image of the piece laying on it's back... I still haven't seen what it looks like with light behind it. Hopefully, I can add that soon.
And here are some of the designs that were not chosen by the church committee. Originally we were going to create The Four Seasons. Here are the renderings I did for that concept. After this concept we moved to two windows instead of four. There were numerous other renderings created. I won't bore you here with all of them. Note to self...committees make it so much harder.
So you can imagine that these 2 windows, each around 550 pieces, has taken quite a bit of time and thought. I have made a couple of trips to Kokomo Opalescent Glass, in Kokomo, Indiana, to find the glass for the trees foliage and tree trunks. The glass for the rocks comes from an old piece of Chicago Art Glass that I had. It's just enough for the 2 windows. This glass company has been out of business for at least 20 years... I lose count.
I have a few other photos of commissions that I have done this year. All of them are studio shots, and so don't show the work to its full advantage.
We live in the house that my husband's grandparents built in 1911. It was built in the midst of a working apple orchard. We redid some things in the house, like opening up walls, electrical, porches, etc. a bit of modernizing, but the bones of the house are a wonderful arts & crafts style. The photo below shows a couple of the old apple trees. and the corner of the pergola.
Anyway, I digress. About 100 years ago, Grandpa Dale planted 2 pecan trees. He was a well-known old painter, and the trees were planted in what was then the front yard, and the entry to the gallery part of the house. I have always loved these trees. This spring I noticed that one of them was looking poorly. I contacted a man who is a tree doctor in our area. He came out to feed, treat and nurture the pecans. In the end we did a lovely barter for his work. The photo at left was designed for an anniversary present depicting an oak tree such as they were married under and the daisies they wore in their hair.
I met a lovely young couple that lived in a community nearby. They have a newish arts and craftsman style house and wanted something for their master bathroom. Their bathroom interior and bedroom verged on Japonesque. They have a gorgeous acacia soaking tub just below where this new stained glass window would be located. We tossed around ideas, and in the end, we chose to go in the willow tree/egret direction, which is one of my favorite themes.
I was doodling on my workday at our coop gallery, Hoosier Artist Gallery, Nashville, IN. I started seeing these figurative forms th
at reminded me of yoga poses. The first photo is the piece I made from the initial doodle... Communing with the Trees.
A woman came into the gallery, saw it and wanted something that would fit her window dimension. So I designed and constructed the second photo for her. I have a bunch of neat sketches for a continuation of this idea.
I met a man at the gallery that was an amateur wood turner. He loved my lamps and wanted to build a base of his own for his wife's Christmas present. This is the lamp he chose.
Another man wanted an especially wide lampshade for his work desk. This is the design he was interested in.
I have a variety of pieces available, but not as many as I would like. I have some lamps and some hanging pieces as well. Some I had with me at the show last year, so they might look familiar. Do let me know if you would like dimensions/prices.
Comments