OurBrownCounty 21March-April | Page 27

One of two panels commissioned for a church. 7.5’ x 3.25’ trees depicting Michigan’ s white pines against a Michigan sunset.
“ As an artist, I have found that Brown County is just one of the most beautiful, gentle, and spiritual spots in the world. The soft, misty, hazy air, the rolling hills and the sweet, loving people, many of whom I include as friends, have all contributed to … decades of my landscape and glass art.”
Anne describes herself as a spiritual, but not necessarily religious, person. Her background is in science, and her spirituality is based in nature.
While she thrives on pieces which spring from her own creativity, she also enjoys commissions.
“ It’ s fun to get into somebody’ s head and get images and ideas. It’ s in connection with others that those creations evolve.”
And human connections are important to Anne. That’ s one of the reasons she loves living in Brown County. In addition to the natural beauty, the county provides a sense of community and safety, she said.
An unusual aspect of Anne’ s work is her use of metal overlays. Stained glass pieces are traditionally fused together in one of two methods, either with lead came( lead channels which are soldered together to form a framework to hold the glass) or with copper foil( thin copper strips folded over the edges of the glass, then soldered for strength).
Glass can either be transparent or opalescent. And opalescent glass comes in a wide freeflowing variety, sometimes with swirls and combinations of colors which are reminiscent of sunsets, cloudy skies, or other elements of nature.
To accomplish her complicated glass designs, she handpicks each piece of glass, then, draws individual elements on paper, numbers them, transfers them to selected areas of colored glass, and cuts glass to match the design.
“ It’ s like doing a puzzle,” she said.“ It has to be done a certain way.”
Anne has always used copper foil.
But she discovered the foil comes in more sizes than just the quarter-inch width traditionally used. Experimenting with larger copper pieces, she first draws details on paper, then traces them onto large copper sheets after
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March / April 2021 • Our Brown County 27