I've always been fascinated by the art of stained glass. I'll even admit, many times in my youth, paying more attention to the stained glass windows in different churches, than to the message being delivered. Something about the vibrant colors, the glass textures, and the way the light made them come alive, held me captive, and compelled me to reach out and touch them any chance that I got. Finally, after 48 years, I've figured out what makes my Light burn brightest. Creating stained glass pieces, a talent I never knew I had, helps to keep that light aglow within me!

I purchased many stained glass works before I started creating my own. I have always been struck by the lack of creations depicting images that represent aspects of the African American experience. I felt like there had to be somebody out there creating this kind of stained glass art. After searching high and low, I stumbled across only one, Angela Smith, a gifted and generous stained glass artist from Maryland, at www.AfricanSands.com. If there are more, somebody please put me in touch with them. I would love to love their work too.

My goal is to bring affordable stained glass pieces to an audience hungry to see representations of themselves in this art form. Pieces with the familiar ring of our own life experience. Bright, and colorful pieces with colors so alive that they bring joy to the viewer. Pieces that allow my Little Light to shine.

I must offer my sincerest thanks and gratitude to Ms. Smith for sharing her knowledge and offering her encouragement when I approached her with eager questions about her beautiful, unique stained glass artwork. Her Light helped me to uncover mine.

Thank you, Ken Smith, my first copper foil instructor, who showed me how to hold a glass cutter, and to stop being my own harshest critic. I took his copper foil class in September of 2006, and I haven't stopped since. Thank you Sam Sims, owner of Stained Glass Accessories, for teaching me how to create leaded panels, and to Butch for answering my MANY questions. Warning, there are MANY more to come.

My designs are faceless, so that everyone can see themselves in them. They are proud and regal. The pieces are bright, the colors are strong, and when the light shines through them, they come alive. Each one is one-of-a-kind, because of the variations in glass and in the human touch, but most importantly, they are from my heart and soul. I'm gonna let it shine, let it shine, let it shine, let it shine...