Miranda Thomas came to mind when I was asked to put together a commemorative piece for a minister in New Jersey. The church, St. George's By the River in Rumson, New Jersey has a striking stained glass window at its apse of the goddess Sophia. An unlikely reference, it seems, for an Episcopal Church, I found out from Miranda that the Sophists were keen on referencing the intelligence of humanity. Sophia is sometimes considered "the Mother of God." Her image became the thing I wanted to share on the piece. First, I thought of a quilt, but the quilters I knew had no interest in something so complicated. That is when Miranda came to mind. I hoped she would be willing to paint the image on some piece of pottery. When I went to visit her in her studio in Bridgewater, Vermont she said, "Oh, why don't you do it? I don't usually do people." I tried to convince her that it was a window she was painting, not a person, but she encouraged me to try. "Glazing is just like watercolor."
Maybe to her, but to me it was like painting with very small brushes in sugar. I felt completely paralyzed by the 16" white platter and nearly gave up. I tried a small sample plate first and began to trust the results. The part that was similar to watercolor was that I could dilute the glaze enough to have it sit on top in a variety of values. I waited until the last minute to complete it, only due to fear and uncertainty. Or perhaps because I work well under pressure? But it was a success. I want to share it with you here.
Collaborating with another artist in a field apart from my own builds confidence and allows me to become inspired by new media. How have you collaborated in your work recently?
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