ABOUT THE ARTIST

Growing up in rural Massachusetts there was not a lot else to do on non school days but explore. One of my favorite hobbies was collecting and identifying insects, particularly butterflies. We also made our own maple syrup and honey, where I got to work with bees for a whole day a couple times a year, and it generally made more sense to make things we needed instead of buying them. The results were well made, customized, and often with beauty in looking slightly asymmetrical, like they were made by human hands rather than mass produced and uniform. I  grew to appreciate this on many levels.

While majoring in art at UMass Amherst from 1990-1992, I discovered the stained glass medium on the side, and it became my favorite way to depict single objects, like the interesting plants and insects I remembered or encountered when I moved or travelled to a new location. Now I could have ones that would last indefinitely and could enjoy in any season, and felt free to add character to them.