Dona Sawyer – ON HIATUS
While I don’t have any “formal” training in the arts, I was lucky enough to be born into a very talented family. I was always encouraged to pursue whatever arts or crafts I was interested in, and discovered that, like the rest of my family, I have a natural artistic talent. This talent has enabled me to teach myself whatever passion takes me at the time.
I have participated in all but the very first Ozark Folk School where i have discovered the joy of sharing art with other people and drawing creative energy from that. Last year I was asked to teach stained glass at the folk school and I really love sharing that art with students. I have also taught an array of different classes at the Ozark Folk Center including painting, corn shuck dolls, beaded jewelry, macrame, and making paper ornaments, to name a few.
I like to preserve grandma’s quilt patterns in stained glass. I recreate patterns from old quilts, choosing a pleasing color scheme, or one suited to a particular person’s decorating scheme. As a change from the precision of the quilt squares, I really enjoy making 3-d stained glass “sculptures” and boxes. I look to nature to create these fun, whimsical pieces. I usually build larger than life insects and flowers out of stained glass, then either use them on stained glass jewelry boxes as part of the lid, or let them stand as sculptures on their own.
Artist Statement
My name is Dona Sawyer and I am a stained glass and jewelry artist. I think I became an artist because I have been doing some kind of arts and craft with my family since I was a little girl. I got away from it as I became an adult, but then I moved to Mountain View! There is so much art of some kind or another here, that it is almost palpable. I live in the country and feel like I have found my little slice of heaven on earth here. The peaceful setting informs my artwork.
My stained glass style has grown from simple quilt squares to antique, architectural designs and fused and slumped creations. I’m drawn to the architectural designs because I love antiques and old houses and buildings and feel like the stained glass that you find in them, on occasion, is like finding a treasure! The fused and slumped glass is just plain fun, because you never know exactly what you are going to have when you open up the kiln!
My jewelry ranges from traditional silversmithing with set bezels and piercework to “found art” objects. I work with silver, brass, and copper, as well as glass beads, gemstones, stones, found pieces of broken pottery, parts of machines…basically if it’s shiny, and I can attach it to something, I’ll try to create something out of it!
I really enjoying creating beautiful things and exploring different styles, design methods and alternative creative techniques, the more challenging, the better! I hope you enjoy my pieces as much as I do.
