Hi, welcome to my land of light and color. My name is Ariana. I am an artist, a mother, a wife, and a teacher. And I am a human who loves this amazing world we call home and who holds hope for what we can do in partnership with nature.

“What partnership?” you may ask. And this is what I can tell you so far. Nature is not separate from us. It is in us. It is in everything we see, feel, taste, smell, and hear. And it is in what we make. It is intelligent beyond our wildest dreams. And only when we learn to immerse ourselves in Nature and to work with Nature in accordance with all that is good, beautiful, and true will we and our amazing world come into balance and well-being.

The Process

I am merely a beginner when it comes to working with Nature. There are others who have gone farther, shining a beacon of light – not always knowingly – to show that it can be done. But I will share with you a glimpse. As an artist, I either receive an inspiration (many artists know that something moves through them in their work), or I accept a request from someone. This becomes a vision or intension. From this point I invite Nature to join me. A design is drawn by hand – for my arm and hand know the feel of the curves and my eye discerns where the line is in balance with the whole design. It is finessed in partnership with Nature. Glass is chosen, also in partnership with Nature. And then the process of cutting, grinding, foiling, and soldering begins. I love the finesse and precision that is required. At last the piece is polished and all the moments of uncertainty are proved faithless as the piece is help up and sunlight dances through. And I give thanks to my partner, Nature.

Themes

“What inspires your art?” you might ask. And I might say:

  • Flow

    • the flow of life and energy and vitality

    • the flow of air and water and phloem

    • the flow of creativity and of one heart to another.

  • The beauty of the creation of the universe:

    • the sky in all its glory that cannot be replicated

    • the plants that live in harmony in the forest – especially the woodland blossoms that are often unnoticed

    • shafts of light through the woods

    • the contrast of soaring tree trunks and earth

  • Human experience that comes from connection to each other and all that is

It is my wish to behold the beauty of the small and the vast and the human soul and capture through my work a glimpse thereof.

Commissions

Being an artist is a journey and one that I am relishing. At this point in my journey I am committed to experimenting and learning and finding my voice as an artist. I offer many of the pieces I complete in the process for sale at C’Ville Arts in downtown Charlottesville, VA. I take on commissions as time allows. If my work resonates with you and you have a dream for glass, send me a snippet of your vision or intention and your timeframe, if it is specific.

Pricing

Stained glass art is made through a painstaking process. Many hours go into making each piece of art whether it is large or small. The end result is worth every moment put in as stained glass can last for generations if cared for well. My pieces are priced by the intricacy of the design, the complexity of the cuts, the number of pieces involved, and the glass that is used. This means that two pieces of equal square footage can have drastically different prices.

If you are commissioning a piece you can expect to pay a non-refundable design fee (generally $200, but it may vary for very simple or very large/complex designs) that will go toward the cost of the completed piece. Once the design has been agreed upon you will pay a deposit equivalent to roughly half of the cost of the artwork with the remainder to be paid upon completion.

Installation

I primarily make free hanging pieces and I do not install stained glass panels/windows. If you want an installed window you will be responsible for all aspects of the installation as well as for accurately measuring the opening that the stained glass artwork will be installed into.