I grew up in a mill town in northeast Massachusetts. The mills attracted many immigrants from around the world. The sounds, the smells of cooking and merchandise in the stores changed with the various ethnic neighborhoods in town. I passed 10 different ethnic churches on my way to school each day. I experienced a wide variety of people and traditions that made my childhood very interesting. But the difficult part of growing up in this environment was coping with the attitudes and expectations that the old world brought to this country regarding the roles and responsibilities of a female. Unless I wanted to be a nurse, schoolteacher or secretary there was no reason to pursue further education or a career. Since I was very interested in art, I did not have many choices. Besides, my mother would say, "You are going to get married and have children and nobody makes a living on art." Like most of my counterparts, I married young and started a family. Only after I embarked on my own career path did I begin to pursue my interest in art.

I took many classes in a variety of mediums. Usually each class was sparked by my desire to have a particular object for my home and I knew I could do it myself. Because of my varied interests I never developed strong skills in any one venue - there were so many possibilities and so little time. Then my husband purchased a pool table for our rec room and I decided to make a stained glass pool table lamp. Soon I found myself making stained glass wedding, Christmas and house warming gifts for friends and family. I took more classes in stained glass craft, subscribed to magazines, attended conventions and began to realize that the creative possibilities of glass were endless. When I decided to leave my government job after 25 years and become an artist, I initially questioned my sanity. Now my days are spent creating works that will last beyond my years and bring smiles to the faces of people who look at them.

I'm not making a million but I sure do love my job.