Forever Homes Needed!

 "Keys"- 525.00

"Earthship 2"- 425.00

 "Tongues"- 325.00

 "Doris"- 515.00

 "No Name"- 325.00

Studio Space

One of the benefits of being an artist is that you get to meet SO many talented people and they are always more than willing to share. This is me working at the Sawhorse, a carpentry studio and work shop owned by Harald von Gahlen in Columbia, MS.  Harald was so sweet to share his work space with me and I enjoyed watching this fine craftsman work.  I've added oiled spanish cedar to my list of favorite smells.  I hope that I will get the chance to work with this guy again!  In the mean time...my hunt for a new studio space begins!

Sunny Sunday

Its 90 degrees out and while I'm waiting on laundry to finish, I thought that it would be fun to piddle and play around...happy Sunday :)

"Keys"

525.00

www.facebook.com/MMArtWindows

Playing catch up!

As always, I have been neglectful in my postings!  I will do better, I will do better, I will do better.

It's getting close the full summer here in Columbia, MS.  As the weather is starting to change as are many things in the MMArtwindow's world.  I am now back from my first juried art show in Oxford, MS and getting ready for an art show in Palmer Park in New Orleans, LA.

The Beatles really knew what they were talking about when they said, "I get by with a little help from my friends." With help from an extra pair of eyes, i.e. my friend Paris, I bought about 20 of these really great windows.  Most of them still had the original weights on them and some still even had the original old rollers attached to them.  I love finding old windows like these and made a new friend, Jim, who loves these old finds too.

After I finished the Double Decker Art show in Oxford, I came back fully focused on searching for an art studio.  The good news about living in a small town, is that most people around here know me and it didn't take long to find a spot.  I can't say that my new found space was love at first sight or anywhere close to that  actually, but there was something in its bones.  So after a discussion and a handshake I agreed to take this spot on the corner of an the old historical Newsome building in Columbia, MS.

*Sorry guys this post apparently hadn't been publishing from a while back.  Its out of order, but I felt like it should be included anyway!

Over the Rainbow

My article came out this week.  Its been about a month since I met with the Gary Pettus, the writer for Under the Rainbow, a magazine that supports the Blair E. Batson Childrens Hospital.  I wasn't sure what they would use, and I have been praying that it would not be melancholy like the t.v. spots Sarah Mclachlan does for the ASPCA.  SO RELIEVED!  I was happiest to see he touched on my story about the blind girl.  She sticks out in my mind all the time.

"People cannot resist touching her windows.  She cannot forget the little girl who kept running her hands over one. 'I just knew she was going to slice her hands.' But she kept saying, 'I can see it; I can see it.  I can see the colors."

"The girl was blind."

And she was.  I held my breath the entire time she ran her fingers up and down that glass.  I was thankful that  I keep band aids in my purse, but her mom didn't seem phased or worried.  I was at an art festival in Oxford, MS when this young lady stepped into my tent. That is an experience that I hope I will always remember.  Because even though there is 99.9% chance that she had no clue what my art was about or what it looked like, who am I to say that the texture or smoothness of the glass she was touching didn't express color.  I like to think that if Beethoven wrote concertos being deaf, than the blind can see color.  Just maybe not how we do.

I am so lucky to have people in my life that have made my recovery from cancer and my growth in my art a celebrated journey. I'm not done yet, and neither are they.  I dedicate this article to them.

Frequently Asked Questions

In preparation for a "talk" or "speech" I will be giving next week, I thought it would be a good time to go ahead and do FAQ page.  I have had several people suggest that I do one, and by popular demand here it is.   These are questions I get on a regular basis about the who, whats, and wheres of my artwork.  I am now happy that I can refer my inquisitive supporters to this page.

• Have you always been an artist?
• I like to hear my mom tell the story of my experience with math in the second grade.  For anyone who knows me, they'll know I'm chatty and have always been.  As the story goes, I was being chatty during math class and sent to time out.  When the teacher came to check on me and my math work I hadn't done a thing, but had managed to color the characters on the worksheet with markers and crayons.  So, yes, I have always been in some form or fashion an artist.  
• Where did you learn how to do this?  Did you go to a special school? 
• Having moved to Jackson, MS, I ran across a mosaic shop while exploring.  I didn't go in the first one or two times I passed it, but curiosity got the best of me and I got up the courage to go see what this small shop was about.  So thankful I did!  I started going in regularly and my love for mosaics grew.  Imagine my delight when I saw a couple of old windows in a corner!  Having been groomed early on by my grandmother, the beautiful old windows spoke to me and a habit was born.  The staff at the mosaic shop taught me how to cut glass and left me to my own devices.  I never went to a special school.  Most of the things I know about mosaic/stained glass work is from trial, error, and what the staff at the mosaic shop taught me.
• What is the motivation behind your art work?
• I tend to have "motivation ADD".  I am inspired by many things: people, travels, movies, music, and sometimes even food.  I am a recycler and I have a passion for vintage finds and old antiques.  I am lucky that this passion is shared with other family members and close friends who are constantly on the hunt for odds and ends I can turn into art.
• What materials do you use?
• I use a variety of materials, old windows being the first necessary ingredient in the process.  I love old windows and love hearing stories about where they came from.  I have worked with windows that have been as old as 100.   I used stained sheet glass and cut each piece by hand.  I also use flat marbles, vintage anagrams, old poker chips, beer bottle and soda caps, broken wine bottles, and broken dishes to name a few.  Each window is grouted with sanded and unsanded grout.  I use special glass adhesives that are non toxic and bio degradable.  I purchase as many of my materials as I can from local hardware stores in the Columbia area.
• Where do you get your windows?
•   I find my windows through salvage yards, old homes being torn down or renovated, flea markets, the side of the road, junk stores, and through word of mouth.  I am a lucky girl to have friends that keep their peepers peeled and find great windows for me. 
•  Do you take orders for custom windows?
• I do take custom orders.  I like to preface and say each of my windows is unique and no two are alike.  I am happy to replicate a window, but each window will be a little different.  For a custom piece I like to sit and discuss the work and take as many notes as possible.  For custom orders or any other inquires about my windows, I can be contacted at mmartwindows@yahoo.com. 

plucked from a home 

on 

historic 

Church Street in Columbia, MS

Intro"spectrum"

Today I sold my Spectrum window. This window is one of ten windows coming out of an older home here in my town. I get so excited when someone purchases one of my windows and shares my passion for taking something old and giving it a new life. In many ways the old windows that I use in my art are an inspiration in themselves. Windows are so important to us. They are vessels that allow us to connect with nature while enjoying the comfort of our homes. I sometimes wonder what great things might have been seen looking through the windows that currently sit in my studio. Maybe a loved one coming for a visit or maybe a child at play? Maybe a butterfly moving from flower to flower? Oh if they could only tell stories!

Spectrum

60x32 1/2

1375.00