Going Forth: What does one take from a Silent Retreat?

The second Ignatian Star: a design from Silence by Wayne Stratz

The Jesuits are glad to have us there for a time to be in silence, but they are joyful when we leave. It is then that the awakening of silence grows. No matter what the silence brings: days of wresting with God, a week of rest and rejuvenation, insight into who you truly are, hope to make the right decision, and/or a stained glass design. 

In 2013 I drew a design of an asymmetrical seven-pointed star. Each point consisting of three pieces of glass, which gives me that number I love, 21. It sat for nearly a full year before I made use of it. I remember feeling pressure of going on a retreat without having used a design from the previous. Feeling moved, I chose Three types of Youghiogheny Glass and this emerged:

The original take on the Ignatian Star by Wayne Stratz feauturing three varieties of Youghiogheny Glass

Retreats are where prayers are formed. Truth learned. Journeys begin. They are not vacations from everyday life. Everyday life can fuel what happens on a retreat. What do I truly desire from this life I am given? What pain needs to be released? How can hope remain?

They live on in you like a design drawn on an old wooden desk. The best work will resurface:

Ignatian Star: a design worth revisiting by Wayne Stratz

PS ... I do remember the moment in time the first one sold. It was in my living room and it was to friends, who had come to our open studio in 2014. To purchase an Ignatian Star: Go this this section of my shop which is where they reside

Seven Thoughts on spontaneously signing up for a retreat at the Jesuit Center

Looking Up at the Jesuit Center
Wernersville, PA

1. Monday night remember that you love creating new designs in Wernersville and see that a retreat is happening the next weekend. Sign up on Tuesday. When you are the only male to show up, read the fine print to see if it was a women's retreat. It wasn't. Still have the longest hair in the room.
2. bring a camera so you don't have to count on old photos to head the blog post.  
3. spend prayer time designing a Wisdom stained glass panel and a turtle.
4. Turtles ~ mention in a news letter that you are thinking about creating a turtle. Get a commission that will include a turtle. Go on a retreat to design the turtle. Laugh when the retreat leader pulls a turtle from her bag. She uses it to remind herself that good things may take a long but slow journey.
5. Wake up on the Sunday and draw a design for the nun who introduced you to Wisdom. Then take an erasure to the panel you had designed. Start the background over. But keep the moon.
6. If you are fighting off a cold, a silent retreat just may not be the source for a miracle cure.
7. When a woman's face shines amongst all the others, draw her a card with wisdom shining upon a focal point. Be brave and give her the design as you pass in a hallway. Accept her hug. Later give her your address when she asks, be filled with hope that you have made a new friend. It can happen at a silent retreat.

and one more thing: on Monday remember what may be the most important thing that flowed into your brain ~ You would rather lose your job before you lose your sense of humor.

Crafting On Thursday- DJC's commission

I was commissioned by a man at work, who has become a good friend (well his name is Dave). It was a hoot being handed inspiration and handed enthusiasm from a friend.

1. Design: He gave me a name and when I imagined the "O" being a rose the design came into being...




2. Photocopy and cut with the copper foil pattern scissors:



3. Glue those pieces to glass, cut the glass as close as I can, then use the grinder:



4. Place the pieces on a copy of the design:



5. Consider RED:



6. cut and grind, cut and grind:



7. Consider the center of the Rose:



8. wrap each piece in copper foil:



9. Pin the bugger down while the soldering iron heats up (oops no photo)

10. make it whole:



11. REPEAT! The man wanted two and of course I couldn't do it the same. Differences include: the R, S, and E are all the same red glass. The center of the O is an opalescent pink. The reds in the O were placed in groups of two.

Youghiogheny Stained Glass--- Nothing but the best for Bert..

I made this for my father-in-law. It gets shipped on Saturday...

Youghiogheny is a word I know from studying about my home state. It is a river out by Fallingwater. But it is also home of a company which makes some of the finest stained glass in the world, in the style of Tiffany.

becoming a stained glass artist

My new blog friend, Kathryn J, over at Colloquies with Kathryn, spoke about how this internet stuff can lead to problems.   I agree, so I made a new rule... 30 minutes in my studio before I can write anything on my blog.

So I just spent 30 minutes with paper, pencil and erasure working on something big, well it will be big for this stained glass artist.

This is my favored stage and until the final stage of the process--- it is all downhill in my book.

I have doodled since the beginning of time and now my brain is adapting to the constraints of glass. In my current design something new is happening. It is being created as I play with lines on paper.

what are those other steps as they descend in pleasure after creating the design...

choosing the colors/glass
cutting and grinding the glass
foiling the glass
soldering... now we have hit rock bottom
cleaning the finished project and holding it up to the light.

so this post was to be about how I became a teacher. That is the idea that floated up and apparently floated away, but if I continue to read Kathryn's journey to become a teacher (not my route at all, well maybe we have something in common????). I will be reminded of the blog post that could become, like one of my unfolding mandala designs inside a ten inch diameter circle...



looking at this I want an erasure. It is not quite done yet... what would you erase?

preparing for Har Zion #2

for me (mosaic woman would agree) the fun part of preparing for a craft show, is crafting...



A colleague of mine commissioned two 11x17 inch panels and I worked up three designs. She liked two, so I decided to do smaller versions for her to see in glass. She liked both but preferred the top and asked for two larger like that, and then bought the one below. First thought in my head was... "No, you can't buy it, I need it for the Har Zion craft show in Penn Valley this weekend." Some thoughts just need to float in and float and out.






Below is the third version of this design. No darkness here. I will try to sell this and the one I judged poorly at the craft show. Hopefully someone like this guy shows up and sees the beauty in it.





and then there is the design I came up with on retreat at Wernersville and then worked on the day and night I prepped for a my colonoscopy. Catching the blue greens by camera was quite difficult.